The dark moon: Lilith

Lilith, this hypothetical point in astrology is known by several names: dark moon, black moon, or just Lilith .She was in the history the first wife of Adam. Some argue that the Dark Moon is one thing, Black Moon another and Lilith yet another. In astrology, the Dark Moon is representative of the darker side of our nature, the negative side. It is the hidden depths that we know exist yet we prefer not to acknowledge. It is subtle on the surface, yet profound beneath. It is the foundations of our personality and the shocking truth that we often deny and project onto others instead. The refusal to see what is really within ourselves. The subtle refusal to see what part we may have played in some unpleasant drama of our lives, how we ourselves have manifested our fears. It is the kind of thing that we intrinsically know we have to deal with, confront the darker side in order to progress unhindered, yet most often we try to ignore. It is the deeper truth that we are forever in search of within ourselves. Probably the best use we can make of the dark moon is to explore our hidden depths, realise that we all have that darker side and go within to resolve that which ultimately hinders us.

In the beginning was the Great Goddess, and the Goddess was the Earth, and the Earth was the Goddess. 📷The origins of the cult of the Great Goddess lie hidden in the dim twilight of prehistoric time. The Goddess ruled for hundreds of thousands of years. In the course of time, the Mother-Goddess was overthrown and driven under, and the triumph of the most patriarchal of archetypes - Jahwe, God the Father, Allah - was complete in the Judaic, Christian and Moslem worlds. It was only in the tamed form of Mary, Mother of God, that some aspects of the Mother Goddess were permitted to survive. Various Black Madonnas in ancient sanctuaries still bear witness to her.

The figure of Lilith represents one aspect of the Great Goddess. In ancient Babylon, she was worshipped as Lilitu, Ischtar or Lamaschtu. Jewish mythology already puts her into darker realms - an evil Demon of the night, a fitting mate for Satan, lying in wait for men, and killing children.

Interpreting Lilith "During my years of astrological practice, I have come to use the Dark Moon in all my chart analyses, as a complement to interpretating the Moon. It would never occur to me to neglect this influence. The Dark Moon describes our relationship to the absolute, to sacrifice as such, and shows how we let go. In transit, the Dark Moon indicates some form of castration or frustration, frequently in the areas of desire, a powerlessness of the psyche, or a general inhibition. On the other hand, it shows where we question ourselves, our lives, our jobs, and our beliefs. I feel this is important, since it gives us the opportunity to "let go" of something. The Dark Moon shows where we can let the Whole flow into our selves, without putting an "I" in the way, without putting up a wall in the form of ego. At the same time, it doesn't indicate passivity - on the contrary - it symbolizes the firm will to be open and trusting, to let the Greater World flow through one, relying entirely on the great laws of the universe, on that which we name God. To prepare us for this opening, the Dark Moon creates a necessary void."

(Joëlle de Gravelaine in "Lilith und das Loslassen", Astrologie Heute Nr. 23)