The New or Dark Moon is the beginning phase, when the Moon and Sun are together (conjunct) in the sky. This occurs each month and in each sign, with the occasional 13th New Moon falling in the last degrees of the same sign as the previous New Moon. This event is called a "Blue Moon," and the term "once in a Blue Moon" is used to indicate a rare event.
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Sandra Kynes, author of several books, including The Herb Gardener's Essential Guide, Plant Magic, and the new Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants, among many others.
Although a few old books...