Reading tarot at the new moon
Nothing is visible yet. Traditionally the point for naming what you want before there is any evidence it will work.
Setting intention in the dark
Nothing is visible in the sky, and the Aces are the deck's cards of something offered before it has taken any form. The Fool belongs here for the same reason - numbered zero, outside the sequence, at the point where a direction has not yet been chosen.
Cards that belong to this phase
| Card | Upright keywords |
|---|---|
| The Fool | Beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, free spirit |
| Ace of Wands | Inspiration, new opportunities, growth, potential |
| Ace of Cups | Love, new relationships, compassion, creativity |
| Ace of Swords | Breakthroughs, new ideas, mental clarity, success |
| Ace of Pentacles | A new financial or career opportunity, manifestation |
Cards that sit badly here
This is the worst phase in the cycle for a card that asks you to assess results. If the Seven of Pentacles or the Ten of Wands turns up under a new moon, the reading is usually that you are judging something that has not started.
A spread for this phase: The New Moon Naming
Three cards, drawn in order. The positions are written for what this phase is structurally good at, which is why the same three-card layout reads differently at each point in the cycle.
| # | Position | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is actually starting | Not what you want to start — what has already begun without being named. |
| 2 | What it will cost | The New Moon is for committing before there is evidence. This position prices that. |
| 3 | What to leave unplanned | The thing to deliberately not decide yet, so the shape can still change. |
Journalling prompt
What am I willing to name before there is any evidence it will work?