Thinking in Both/And a New Moon Devotional
As the New Moon rises, we walk the Via Negativa releasing, making space, and the glory of seeking and revealing hidden wisdom.
Invocation
Holy Mystery,
You who dwell in silence deeper than words,
in the breath between stars
and the pause before dawn,
We come to you now in the veil of this dark moon.
Not to banish the shadows,
but to rest within them.
Not to demand answers,
but to open my soul to wonder.
Spirit of the Hidden One,
Shekhinah who hovers in the cloud,
guide us through the questions we cannot name.
Let us feel the presence of the ancestors who walk unseen.
Let us learn from the land, from memory, from stillness.
May I release the need to control or define.
May I find peace not in certainty,
but in the sacred rhythm of not-knowing.
This is the path of faith beyond sight.
This is the threshold of the holy dark.
We enter with reverence,
and we open ourselves to be transformed.
Amen.
So may it be.
Let it begin.
The Sacred Moment
Today, the new moon veils the sky, cloaking the heavens in silence and shadow. May we feel the call to surrender, to sacred unknowing, to the holy hush that dwells beneath words. In the deep darkness of the New Moon, we walk the path of the Via Negativa: the way of release, of letting fall what no longer serves, of listening for the presence hidden in absence. Our souls ache not for answers, but for peace within the questions, for a love that meets us in the void.
This is a moon to release, to empty, to rest.
Theme: Opening to Darkness
As we approach the month of Samhain, which we celebrate from November 1st to 3rd, we open into the traditional Irish New Year, the spiritual New Year. This is a time to enter the season of deep mystery, where certainty melts away and we live in the questions that may never be answered. We are not just turning a page on a calendar that was shaped by secular or economic aspirations. We orient ourselves to the earth’s rhythm, to the seasonal pulse of life, and to the spiritual reality that the new moon brings.
It is so important for us to have a calendar for our spiritual and personal journey that is separate from the one we use for mundane daily tasks. Why? It is harder for us to confuse our spirit work of living God with our political and social life like the Christian Nationalist do. It encourages us to practice the both/and thinking we need to thrive in this world. November 1st is both the beginning of the New Year and the first day of the Eleventh Month of the secular calendar. It is also the second of three New Years we see every year following Rosh HaShanah. In fact their are four new years, every year in Torah and Mishnah. We might even count the Lunar New Year and many others. All of these open us up and encourage us to let go of either/or thinking and embrace both/and thinking.
Every new moon, we embrace the Via Negativa as an invitation into mystery. We let go not only in suffering, but in releasing our attachment to certainty. We let go of the need to fully grasp or understand everything as we step into the cloud of unknowing. In life, if we wait for certainty we will either delude ourselves into a false sense of security, or we will procrastinate forever because that certainty never comes. The more we learn to embrace this cloud of unknowing, the more we embrace the gray areas of life. Life is and will always be filled with mystery.
The new moon, or Rosh Chodesh, marks the beginning of a new cycle, a sacred opening into the unknown, where the light is hidden and we are invited to walk by a different kind of illumination. We call on the Shekhinah to shelter us and guide us in the month to come. This is another time for both/and thinking. The new moon is the start of the spiritual month, even though it is rarely on the first of the secular month.
Unlike the Wiccan practice of calling down the moon when it is full, here at the dark moon we open up to the moon’s hidden face. This is not the darkness that tries to overcome the light, but a darkness that shrouds our understanding, inviting us into a space where the voices of our ancestors whisper, and the presence of the spirits, the good neighbors, and the fae are felt. We walk carefully, knowing that some are tricksters, and we let go of certainty to find our path not by holding onto what we know, but by embracing what we do not.
Whether or not we individually believe our ancestors or the spirits can talk to us, we let ourselves know they have so much to teach us. We might learn from the stories and traditions passed down to us, or the intuitive encounters with them in prayer, meditation, and journeying. We connect with our ancestors of blood, milk, and land, and honor them for the gifts they have given us while learning from their mistakes so we don’t repeat them. We study these lessons in the cloud of unknowing, because we will never have certainty about the path we walk, only that we can put one foot after the other.
A fitting practice for this devotional could be something like a silent meditation or a candle ritual in the darkness. Instead of drawing down the moon’s light, we sit with the unseen, welcoming the mystery, lighting a single candle not to banish the darkness but to honor it. We acknowledge that the intricate beauty of the cosmos is beyond full comprehension and that in this darkness, we find a different kind of wisdom.
Practice: Candle in the Cloud
Materials:
A single candle
Fireproof surface
Journal or voice recorder (optional)
Comfortable place to sit in darkness or dim light
1. Prepare the Space
Turn off lights, electronics, and distractions. Sit comfortably in the dim or total darkness, allowing your eyes to adjust. Place the unlit candle before you. Breathe deeply and slowly for a few minutes to ground yourself.
Speak aloud or silently:
“I enter this darkness not to flee the world, but to see it differently.
I welcome the cloud of unknowing,
I walk beside my ancestors,
And I open my heart to the Holy Mystery.”
2. Light the Candle
As you light the candle, say:
“I do not light this flame to chase the dark away,
but to walk with it,
and find the wisdom hidden there.”
Keep your gaze soft. Let the flicker of the flame guide your thoughts, not focus them. You’re not here to think, you’re here to be with mystery.
3. Sit with the Unknowing
Let questions rise: not for answers, but as offerings. Welcome whatever thoughts, images, or emotions surface. If nothing comes, simply rest in the quiet. When doubts, fears, or longing appear, greet them with compassion and say:
“You, too, belong in this mystery.”
4. Bless the Path Forward
When ready, gently speak this blessing aloud:
“I walk forward without knowing,
trusting the Spirit that dances in shadow.
I release the weight of needing certainty.
I carry wonder, not answers.
I walk in mystery, and mystery walks with me.”
5. Close the Practice
Extinguish the candle slowly. Watch the smoke curl into the air like a prayer.
If you keep a journal, write down any images, feelings, or questions that came to you.
If not, simply whisper:
“Thank you. Let what needs to remain, remain. Let what needs to go, go.”
Optional Weekly Practice:
Do a version of this a set day of the week that works best for you to cultivate deeper comfort with uncertainty and develop your relationship with mystery, the ancestors, and the Holy Spirit of the unseeable. Over time, notice what begins to grow in the fertile dark.
Closing Blessing
Spirit of the Deep,
We have sat in the stillness,
listened in the silence,
and touched the edge of the unseen.
Though we did not ask for answers,
you gave us presence.
Though we could not see the path ahead,
you taught us how to walk in the dark.
Thank you for the company of mystery,
for the whisper of ancestors,
for the hush of the new moon.
As we return to the world of doing,
let us carry this holy pause within us.
Let us walk gently with unknowing,
and meet the coming days with trust,
not in what we understand,
but in what we are becoming.
We leave this sacred space,
but not your presence.
Guide our steps.
Guard our spirits.
And keep our hearts open
to the wisdom hidden in the dark.
Amen.
So may it be.
Let it continue.