THE SHORT ANSWER (TSA)
Generally, “the dark of the moon” is a term referring to the period of three days before the new moon. Is this the “definitive” definition? Well, I don’t know that there is one. But “the dark of the moon” is not an astronomical event. Rather, in folklore, “the dark of the moon” is a period that is often considered unfortunate or difficult. Historically, the dark of the moon has had many meanings to many people, but there are certain consistent features that are worth outlining.
First, many confuse the term, black moon, with “the dark of the moon.” A black moon is just another term for the new moon. The new moon is that point in the lunar cycle when the sun and moon are in roughly the same location in the sky. At the time of the new moon, viewed from the earth, the moon can’t be seen in the night sky.
Then, as the moon moves farther and farther away from the sun, we see a crescent moon at night. What we will continue to see is the moon reflecting more and more of the sun’s light as the moon moves farther and father away from the sun. Finally, the moon grows to full – a time when the moon is opposite the sun’s position in the sky. At full, as seen from the earth, the moon fully reflects the sun’s light. After that, the bright area of the moon begins to shrink again until even the crescent disappears.
For the three days before the next new moon, there is no moon to be seen in the sky. Again, this is “the dark of the moon.”
Since before the dawn of recorded history, it was believed that things begun, when the moon is growing (“waxing”) from new to full, will “increase.” Similarly, things begun, when the moon’s light is shrinking (“waning”) from full to new, will tend to “decrease” or disappear. This traditional belief lives on in agriculture, with almanacs carefully listing lunar phases so that crops can be planted during the growing, or waxing, moon.
To keep it simple, let’s say that the period of the shrinking (or waning) moon is believed to be less “fortunate” than the period of the growing (or waxing) moon. But don’t take this strictly. Some people begin weight-loss diets during the decreasing, or waning, moon because the dieter wants their appetite to decrease rather than increase.
Sometimes, it all gets a bit confusing.
But if the shrinking, or waning, moon is a time of decrease, then the last few days of the decrease – a time when the moon has completely disappeared from the sky – can’t be too good.
I can’t find a single clear description of the effects of “the dark of the moon,” but the lore goes something like this. In days gone by, the disappearance of the moon was considered quite “unfortunate.” When the moon was visible, the world remained, more or less, in order. But the times when the moon wasn’t visible, during (1) an eclipse or (2) the dark of the moon or (3) even when the moon was only covered by clouds in an overcast sky, were associated chaos and disorder.
But what do we mean by a time of chaos? Well, a time when anything could happen, no matter what precautions you might take. You may have heard the saying, “life isn’t fair.” Well, let’s just say, during the dark of the moon, the world around us might grab that “unfairness” ball and run with it. The dark of the moon was thought to be time when even the best plans were likely to fail and the greatest precautions might not offer protection.
Chaos is not generally considered a good thing but, if you could have bad luck, you’d think you could also have good luck during such times. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. Historically, the dark of the moon was considered, at least, a treacherous period and never a time of pleasant events.
On the other hand, the dark of the moon has a familiar and, somehow, appropriate set of associations. Being the very end of the period of the waning moon, it was not considered a good time to begin projects or enterprises. Also, it was, understandably, associated with death. The light of the moon diminishes until the “old moon” dies. Another term for “the dark of the moon” is the “dead moon.”
But, then again, death is associated with renewal. So the dark of the moon is the final period of break-down and clean-up before the birth of a new moon. Actually the dark of the moon is considered, by some, to be a good period for rest and reflection — but, still, not a good period for action.
M Grossmann of Hazelwood, Missouri
(& Belleville, Illinois)
About the Author
15 May 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment