New Moon Meaning and magickal uses

The quiet dark of the cycle, for rest, reflection and planting new intentions.

• Intentions: New Beginnings, Divination, Wisdom
• Planet: The Moon
• Timing: The day the moon is dark, plus about a day either side

How to use it

• Set intentions. Write three intentions for the coming month on paper in the present tense. Read them aloud by candlelight, fold the paper and keep it on your altar until the next new moon.
• Rest and reflect. Spend the evening quietly, with fewer screens and an early night. Journal on what the last cycle taught you before deciding what you want to begin.

Works well with: The Moon, Black Candle, White Candle, Moonstone, Mugwort

Folklore

At the new moon, the Moon sits between Earth and Sun and its lit side faces away from us, so the sky is dark. Many traditions treated this as a pause in the cycle, a time to rest and look inward before the light returns. Some witches separate the dark moon, the last night or two of no visible moon, from the new moon proper, when the first thin sliver appears. In modern practice this phase is a favorite time to set intentions, like seeds planted in dark soil.