In the Hindu Calendar, this New Moon reverses the blazing energy of Diwali into the pitch darkness of Kali Puja, honoring the Great Goddess, the Maha Devi, in her severe, purifying form as the energy of decay, death and renewal. She is always depicted as shown here, with four arms holding a trident, a bloody sword, a severed head and a bowl symbolizing the blessings she grants to those who are devoted to her. Her name literally means "Time" and is used to mark the great cycles of the cosmic wheel, such as the Kali Yuga, or Dark Time, which is now coming to its climax before a new cycle begins. In the Wiccan calendar, sunset on this day begins Hecate Night, celebrating the most formidable aspect of the Triple Goddess.
New Moon conjunct Sun in Scorpio. Nowhere in the zodiac does the Moon go through such a reversal of energy and power as she does while the Sun is in Scorpio. At the Scorpio Full Moon (11/8 - 9), the Moon is advantageously placed in the Venus-ruled sign of Taurus, but at the New Moon she is in Scorpio, where she is "in fall", her powers muted and weakened. This is one reason why our emphasis shifts off the emotional plane now to the simple practical business of storing the fuel, getting the harvest in, getting repairs made before the snows come.
In the Celtic/Druidic and Wiccan calendars, this November New Moon is called Dead Moon, as it falls in the Scorpio month of death and renewal, and is often close to the festivals of the dead in late October and early November.
Image and text courtesy of the Universal Festival Calendar by Dan Furst at hermes3.net
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In the Mahayana Buddhist calendar, this festival commemorates the sacred moment at which the divine being variously known as Tara, Kwan Yin, Kannon, Kwanzen and other names attained bodhisattvahood, and became the lady of mercy and compassion.