The Dark Moon, for the literal minded

After writing about the Dark Moon a couple of days ago, my partner and I had a conversation about what that term actually means.  So I turned to an astrologer friend whose work I admire, Terri Parsley Stains.  Below is her response.
Thanks, Terri.  I have considered the Dark Moon similarly, but not as concisely!

Hi Sophia, Great questions. My short answer is it depends on what you mean by Dark Moon. For me, there are really two phases of the dark moon: the end of the Balsamic phase when we are releasing the old energy, and then the beginning of the New Moon phase when we are charging the new seeds of the cycle. For me, when the Moon returns to the sign it was in at the New Moon (last part of Balsamic, that is when I release the intention I was working with and also think over what I learned, what happened, etc.). The amount of time the Moon spends in its next New Moon sign before actually joining the Sun at the New Moon phase can be up to 2 1/2 days. There is a pattern that the Moon follows on just when it conjoins the Sun; it can be at the beginning, middle or end of a sign. I personally still think the Moon has not begun its New Moon phase until it conjoins the Sun, but obviously the energy of the New Moon is already forming when the Moon enters that sign. If it is a couple of days then it feels to me like a longer period of between the worlds. It is time to notice what is calling to you about this next cycle. love these kind of questions! Teri

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