Dark Moon Magic

Dark moon magic is magic that's performed on the dark moon. This is the period (about three days) when the moon is not visible because it is in between the sun and the earth. Some folks believe that this is a very good time to do 'banishing' or 'destructive' magic, like getting rid of things we don't want. Also since it is that liminal time between death and rebirth, it can be a very powerful time to transformation magic that focusses on death and rebirth. Some people also believe that the dark moon is the ideal time to explore 'the mysteries' or the unseen. This makes it a good time to do 'inner' work and shadow work, or working with 'other worlds'.

Gail Wood's Sisters of the Dark Moon (Llewellyn 2001) works specifically with dark moon energies. It is intended to be used over a period of a year and offers meditations and rituals for 13 darkmoons. I find it is from a Wiccan perspective.

For inner or shadow work (and not necessarily dark moon work), Dark Moon Mysteries (Llewellyn 1999) and Apprentice to Power (Crossing Press, 2000) by Timothy Roderick are both excellent. They are also from a Wiccan persepctive. I also like The Mist-Filled Path by Frank MacEowan (New World, 2002), which offer a 'Celtic-Shamanic' perspective, with hints of eco-psychology influences, on inner-work. Plus there are a number of books on shadow-work from a Jungian perspective (the concept of the shadow, I believe, is actually Jungian). Owning Your Own Shadow by Robert Johnson (Harper 1993) is a slim book that discusses the concept of 'the shadow' in accessible terms. It's from a predominantly Christian perspective.

I don't recommend embarking on shadow work on your own, but these books can give you a bit of perspective on the concept. I'm not up on spellcrafting or ceremonial magick books, but I'd be surprised if there isn't anything out there that looks at the spellcasting or magic specifically from a lunar phase perspective. You might want to try looking at some books on biodynamic planting (planting with the moon phases). I suspect the underlying principles of why it is better to plant and prune at different moon phases will be similar to the underlying principles of spell casting by different moon phases; but don't quote me on that.