For Your Dark Moon Time

The Three Days of Moondark

Dr Raven Dolick MsD Nov 20, 2014

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The phases of the moon have been of great interest to humans across time and cultures for far longer than recorded history. The full moon and its effects are easily noticed by all, and if anyone thinks it has no effects, they have only to talk to a police officer, E.R. medical professional or bartender to be enlightened. The dark of the moon is more subtle, yet every bit as powerful. Few experienced fishermen will cast their nets into the sea during the three days of moondark.
Unlike the full moon which lasts for a single night, the dark of the moon is a three-day event. On the last and first days of a moon phase the tiny sliver of visible moon is actually visible only to the very fortunate and those who have the equipment to detect it at the correct time of day. Only on the second, or central, day of moondark is the moon actually 'gone', with only the dark side completely facing Earth. This is the true day of moondark, the liminal day which is not one nor the other, a day out of time. Yet it is a relatively new phenomenon, mostly associated with the New Age movement, to refer to the actual day of moondark as a 'new moon.' It is an inaccuracy which gives rise to a great deal of confusion.
One can argue that it is a matter of semantics, and that in the absence of a visible sliver of moon there is no need to fuss about accuracy. To those who are disinterested in or unable to detect subtle energies this is surely the case. But for those who are tuned in to the real and palpable energies that affect our planet and the life on it, it can be important to get it right.

In ancient Greece the day of moondark was dedicated to the goddess Hekate, and her sacred Deipnon was celebrated on that day, and is this is still true for modern practitioners. But the 'right' day is not a matter of interest solely to Hellenics. As the full moon and dark moon phenomena are observable to those outside the Pagan community, it makes little sense for those within it to be cavalier about what these energies are and how to work with them.
Moondark is not a day of new beginnings. It is a threshold, a time out of time in which outward directed thoughts and actions have little effect, but internal alchemy is potent. For those wishing to harness the power of new beginnings and fresh starts, the new moon, i.e. the third day of moondark, is a much more practical and sensible approach. Moondark itself is a day to go within, to be still, and to prepare for action, not to begin.
Some calendar days are a matter of mutual choice within a community. New Year's Day on the Gregorian calendar is just such a day. Many people, for religious or societal reasons, consider their years to end and begin at other times. But for the vast majority of the world January 1st is the start of the new year. We are free to accept this, or arrange our own calendrical observances as we please. But moon phases are not subject to popular opinion. No harm is done by referring to 'moondark' as a 'new moon', but for those who actually wish to sense, use and flow with real energies that have a real effect on their lives, it behooves them to understand the subtleties and powers of natural energies. Social media memes notwithstanding.

Part 2 Moondark and Magic

The three nights of moondark are a recurring microcosm of the cycles of death, regeneration and rebirth. Pagans, Wiccans and witches of all stripes tend to view this numinous time as somehow apart from the regular flow of time, even as we differ considerably in our interpretation of this ‘otherness.’
The first night of moondark is the last night of the waning lunar mon...th. On this night many Pagans finish magical workings, clear out physical and psychic space, and bring energetic projects to culmination regardless of their success. The old cycle is winding up. This is the death phase.
The central night of moondark is the weird time, the eerie time, the time-out-of-time where boundaries are blurred, ghosts walk, and threads unravel. Many witches do no magic on moondark, believing that its disconnection from the regular cycle renders its energy impotent as it relates to manifestation, that Workings performed during on this night will be impotent or worse, go awry.
Others believe that its very numinosity is extremely potent, and that avoiding Working on moondark is a missing an opportunity. When the world is already in flux, when the energy of the now-dead lunar period is a chaotic state of regeneration, it is the ideal time for the magical practitioner to re-form the universe according to his Will.
For Pagans who do not practice magic, a group that includes many Hellenic Reconstructionists who consider magic to be hubris, it is a night to go within, to seek introspection in order to go forth into the next phase with a fresh perspective gained from recent experience.
The third moondark night, the first day of the new lunar month, is the time of rebirth. This is an ideal time to launch new projects and creative ventures, and for witches to initiate new magical projects. It is a time for building and burgeoning, for fresh new beginnings.
The central night of this three-day period of moonless skies, the actual moondark night, is sometimes referred to in modern times as the ‘new moon,’ which can be confusing. Traditionally the new moon refers to the first visible sliver of the new moon appearing in the west, a sight not necessarily predictable.

In ancient Greece this day was known as ‘noumenia’ and it is generally observed on the third day of moondark, that is, the first day of the new lunar month, whether or not the moon is actually visible.
But the central night of moondark belongs to Hekate, an ancient lunar goddess who also rules over magic, witchcraft, crossroads and ghosts. She was known as Hekate Triformis, the goddess with three faces. Triple statues of Her stood at three-way crossroads, each face staring in a different direction.
Her night is known to Hellenics as the Deipnon, a word that simply means a meal, but when connected with Hekate takes on deeper undertones as a meal created specifically for Her, and offered to Her as in classical times at three-way crossroads.
Unlike most food offerings to Greek deities, the Deipnon is never shared. It should be left at the center of the crossroad with a brief prayer to the goddess, after which the worshipper should walk rapidly away, refraining from looking back. Presumably mortals are not able or meant to see what comes to consume the offering.

Moondark gives Pagans a constantly recurring do-over, the opportunity to put failures behind, to integrate wisdom and experience, and to start fresh 13 times per year. It reminds us on a regular basis that we are part of the greater cycles of our world, our universe and our gods. Even within our vastly different belief systems, methods of worship, pantheons and practices, we can come together briefly in wonder of the beauty of eternal patterns.
And moondark is an excellent time to launch a new writing venue.
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