A Black Moon is the name given to an occurrence of the second new moon in a calendar month. Though traditional believers in Wicca do not use the Gregorian calendar system, many modern followers of this religion believe that the second dark moon (i.e., new moon) is a time of great power in the spiritual world, and any magick performed during a Black Moon is especially potent. Many astrologers equate the black moon with a person's dark side.
The chances of two new moons occurring in one month are exactly the same as two full moons occurring in a single month, which tends to be about every 2.5 to 2.8 years. However since you cannot typically see a new moon (except during a solar eclipse), a Black Moon is not usually noticed or recognized.
Black Moon Calendar (1950 - 2050)
1950-1999 | 2000-2050
-------------------+-------------------
October 30, 1951 | July 31, 2000
June 30, 1954 | May 31, 2003
January 30, 1957* | December 31, 2005
March 31, 1957* | August 30, 2008
October 31, 1959 | July 30, 2011
July 31, 1962 | January 30, 2014*
May 30, 1965 | March 30, 2014*
December 31, 1967 | October 30, 2016
August 31, 1970 | August 30, 2019
June 30, 1973 | April 30, 2022
January 31, 1976 | December 30, 2024
October 31, 1978 | August 31, 2027
July 31, 1981 | June 30, 2030
May 31, 1984 | January 30, 2033*
December 31, 1986 | March 30, 2033*
August 31, 1989 | October 31, 2035
June 30, 1992 | August 30, 2038
January 30, 1995* | April 30, 2041
March 31, 1995* | December 31, 2043
October 31, 1997 | August 31, 2046
| May 31, 2049
*A double Black Moon (i.e., two Black Moons in one calendar year)
See also: Blue Moon
References
- http://www.obliquity.com/astro/blue-new.html
- http://lavenderwater.tripod.com/lunar.htm