A new moon happens every month and every moon cycle. It is when the sun and the moon are in the same astrological sign and right next to each other. Because they are next to each other, the sun cannot light up the surface of the moon and therefore we experience that the moon has gone dark. When they are opposite of each other and the sun lights up the whole beautiful side of the moon, we experience it as a full moon.
The new moon starts the whole moon cycle as the moon passes by the sun and we set the seeds in the darkness that will grow with the growing light of the moon. In our modern days, it is easy to check in an astrological calendar or app when the new moon happens. But for our ancestors, it was another thing. Most of them had to wait until they actually could see the first glimpse of the silver new moon up in the sky. (When there is no visible moon up in the sky the pagans call it dark moon and the astrologers call it new moon.)
But that also gave them a few days to rest in the space between the two moon cycles, one ending and another one beginning. And that space can be important, especially if you are a magickal practitioner or healer of some kind. We all need time to rest, digest, and let things fall into place. Doing nothing and letting the empty space speak for itself.
Honouring the space between
It’s easy to get into the mode of always being active and having to be magickal all the time, never missing any full moon, new moon, or star alignment. But if we are to reconnect with nature, we also need to honor the space in-between. Another way of seeing it is that to be a really good player in the game, you need to sit on the bench and recharge sometimes as well, or your performance will not be optimal and you will start to burn out your resources.
If your schedule is filled with many things to do the whole month. It can be a good idea to also schedule doing nothing. If you schedule three days in a row you will probably find out that it takes the first day to shed your stress, the second day to relax and the third day to truly recharge and get inspiration to the next phase after your mini-retreat. Three is a magickal number in many ways and has an interesting movement of processing energy.
If you menstruate, you may find scheduling your doing nothing time around the dark moon regulates your cycle to those days and that it can bring many gifts of balancing both body and soul. If you are post-menopausal or otherwise do not menstruate, scheduling your doing nothing days at this time of the month can assist you in releasing heavy energy from your womb associated with moon-time.
It can be a challenge to remember to release heavy and dense energy from your womb after reaching menopause. What the body did naturally during your cycle, now has to be done more or less intentionally. There will naturally be more healing powers moving through your body at this time in your life, but you need to help the womb with releasing the energy that does not serve you anymore. At this time of your life you are also probably holding space for the generations before you with older parents, and the generations after you with children and grandchildren, and that space needs to be looked after to keep you healthy on all levels.
If you have signs of PMS, but you have left your menstruation behind you, it can be a signal that you are holding built-up dense and heavy energy in your womb energetically. That can be signs of depression, anger, tension, irritation, sadness, out of balance for seemingly no logical reason.
Giving yourself the time for doing nothing around the dark moon can help to let go of that heavy energy and offer space for something new. The thing is that you need to literally do nothing during these days that you have set aside for this to work. No ceremonies for others, no healing, no magick other than connecting yourself to yourself and allowing that nothingness and time to heal you.
I’ve had the honor to assist some of my healing clients after menopause, when many of them have developed illnesses, hormonal imbalances, and chronic conditions. If we, as the generations that comes after them, want our elders in our traditions—both women and men—to live long and healthy lives, we have to respect that they need to rest and recharge. They need to retreat from the needs of their communities from time-to-time to be able to continue to hold the beautiful spaces that they do. If elders in your tradition are not available for you for a while, don’t take it personally. See it as a gift that they are doing this for themelves, so they can continue to serve others for hopefully many years to come.
We are living in very special times and while most people are dealing with making sense of this world, the elders of traditions and ceremony-keepers are juggling not only this world, but also the world of spirits and holding space for that, and trying to map out and open up the road ahead for their communities!
New moon in Gemini and retrieving knowledge
We have an exciting new moon arriving on the 22nd of May. The sun and the moon are joined at two degrees in the sign of Gemini (communication, learning, friends). Here they make a grand trine (positive aspect) to the asteroid Juno (relationships, beginnings and endings) in the sign of Libra (relationships). They are also in the grand trine to Pluto and Jupiter in Capricorn, and Pallas Athene and Saturn in the beginning of Aquarius.
What is interesting is that Pluto, Jupiter, Pallas Athene, and Saturn are all in retrograde motion. When a planet is in retrograde motion it is said that it goes more within and becomes internalised. But we can also look at it like we have an opportunity to go back to something, and in this case with the connection to the new moon in Gemini, the power to go back to retrieve information and knowledge. You can look at it like you are given a key to an old house where you used to live so you can get into the house and retrieve important things for you.
There are definitely more interesting things going on in the sign of Gemini besides the new moon. We also have Venus (love and relationships), Mercury (communication and Gemini’s ruler), Vesta (dedication, fire, priest and priestess) and the north node. A lot of communication and signals in the air for sure!
I don’t know about you, but I am definitely going to put up my intergalatical parabolas and be ready to catch some interesting knowledge! If you have the possibility, this is a great moment to not just do a quick ceremony but to go deep with the new moon and the retrograde planets and do a longer ceremony or retreat for three days. One day to tune-in and let go of stress, the second day to go deep and get clear messages and the third day to digest and reflect. The number 3 is also a symbol for the crossroads.
In whatever way you meet up with this energy I wish you a great New Moon in Gemini, and may you catch some beautiful knowledge to guide you further on your path!
Blessings!
Karin Spirit Talker Turtle Red
Karin Ugander (Spirit Talker Turtle Red) is a spiritual channeler living in the south of Sweden. In Scandinavia she is known for the AstroNumerology and psychic readings she’s been doing for over 20 years. Together with her husband Niklas, she runs KaniSkolan, a school of astrology, numerology, tarot, StarCode Healing, and natural medicine. They are also the founders of Alven Inner Ring tradition, a Scandinavian mystery school with roots in shamanism and magick. Karin loves to create magickal oils, flower essences and sigils she combines in her “Karin Victoria” sigil candles and flower sprays. In her spare time she likes to travel, walk in the forest with her dog, and spend time by the ocean. Karin is a high priestess and graduate of the Temple of Witchcraft’s seminary program.
You can find Karin Ugander at Instagram @flowerpowerwitch and @karinuganderofficial