The lunar phase is important in determining the best time for magic. There are basically two lunar phases: waxing moon (ideal time for positive magic) and waning moon (ideal time for banishing/negative magic, study, and meditation). In between you'll have the dark moon (the time of greatest power for banishing and negative magic) and the full moon (the time of greatest power for positive magic). Most witches and pagans work around these lunar phases. However, others, suggest a much more complicated subdivision of the moon phases.

WAXING MOON

Time: From New Moon to Full Moon (Approx 14 days)
Crescent - The moon rises at mid-morning and sets after sunset.
First Quarter - Sunset is the prime time for waxing moon magic.
Gibbous - It's a wonderful time for working around 10:00 to 11:00 p.m.
Goddess Aspect: Maiden.
Associated Goddesses: Artemis, Branwen, Eriu, Nymph, and Epona.
Magickal Attributes: INVOKING Beginnings, New projects, Ideas, Ispirations, Energy, Vitality, Freedom.
General w orkings on this day are for: "Constructive" magic, (love, wealth, success, courage, friendship, luck or health.)
Crescent Moon - animals, business, change, emotions, matriarchal strength.
Gibbous Moon - courage, elemental magic, friends, luck, motivation.

FULL MOON

Time: Approx 14 days after New Moon (Energy lasts from 3 days before Full Moon to 3 days after actual Full Moon) Midnight is the best hour to work the magic.
Goddess Aspect: Mother.
Associated Goddesses: Danu, Cerridwen, Gaia, Aphrodite, and Isis.
Magickal Attributes: FRUITION Manifesting goals, Nurturing, Passion, Healing, Strength, Power.
Workings on this day are for: Protection, Divination, "Extra Power", Job hunting, healing serious conditions. Also love, knowledge, legal undertakings, money and dreams, artistic endeavors, beauty, health, and fitness, change and decisions, children, competition, dreams, families, health and healing, knowledge, legal undertakings, love and romance, money, motivation, psychism, self-improvement.

WANING MOON

Time: From Full Moon to Dark Moon (Approx 14 days)
Disseminating Moon - Timing: The time of souls is at 3:00 a.m.
Last Quarter - The moon rises at midnight and sets at noon.
Goddess Aspect: Crone
Associated Goddesses: Callieach, Banshee, Hecate, Kali, Morrigan.
Magickal Attributes: BANISHING Releasing the Old, Removing Unwanted Negative Energies, Wisdom, Psychic Abilities, Scrying, Reversing Circumstances.
General workings on this day are for: Banishing Magic, ridding onelsef of addictions, illness or negativity, physical and psychic cleanisings.
Disseminating Moon - addictions, decisions, divorce, emotions, stress, protection.
Last Quarter - addictions. divorce, health and healing (banishing disease), stress, protection
Time: From Dark Moon to Waxing Moon (depends).
New moon - The magic should be performed between dawn and sunset for the best use of this magic.
Dark Moon - As odd as this may sound, the strongest pull of the dark moon is around 10:00 a.m.
Goddess Aspect: Madien
Associated Goddesses: Callieach, Banshee, Hecate, Kali, Morrigan.
Magickal Attributes: BANISHING Releasing the Old, Removing Unwanted Negative Energies, Wisdom, Psychic Abilities, Scrying, Reversing Circumstances.
NEW BEGINNINGS Weight loss, Goal setting, Planning, Cleaning, Personal Cleansing, General beginnings and considerations.
Workings on this day are for: Starting new ventures, new beginnings, love, romance, health, or job hunting.
New moon - beauty, health, and self-improvement; farms and gardens; job hunting; love and romance; networking.
Dark moon - addictions, change, divorce, enemies, justice, obstacles, quarrels, removal, separation, stopping stalkers and theft.

Lunar Eclipses
Eclipses represent the perfect union of sun and moon. Any type of magic is acceptable.
There are 2 types of lunar eclipse:
Partial eclipse
Penumbral eclipse of the moon

Blue Moon
Your geographic location can make a difference to your experience of a Blue Moon. Depending on your longitude you may go through a date change prior to other locations which means the full moon is at the first of your new month and falls at the end of the preceding month somewhere else. The "blue" one is always the 2nd full moon in the same month. The regular full moons of each month all have their own individual names as follows: Moon after Yule, Wolf Moon, Lenten Moon, Egg Moon, Milk Moon, Flower Moon, Hay Moon, Grain Moon, Fruit Moon, Harvest Moon, Hunters' Moon and Moon Before Yule.
Historically the Blue Moon was considered unlucky and a real nuisance when it occurred at various times of the year and upset scheduling of church festivals. In love songs the Blue Moon is often a symbol of sadness and loneliness.
The first appearance in print of this expression goes back to the time of Shakespeare, when some folks felt that sometimes the moon visually appeared blue in the sky. Although the expression dates all that way back, it has only recently come to mean the second Full Moon in one month. Blue Moon seems to be a truly modern piece of folklore, old folklore it is not, but real folklore it is.
Your geographic location can make a difference to your experience of a Blue Moon. Depending on your longitude you may go through a date change prior to other locations which means the full moon is at the first of your new month and falls at the end of the preceding month somewhere else. The "blue" one is always the 2nd full moon in the same month. The regular full moons of each month all have their own individual names (see below).
Historically the Blue Moon was considered unlucky and a real nuisance when it occurred at various times of the year and upset scheduling of church festivals. In love songs the Blue Moon is often a symbol of sadness and loneliness.
The first appearance in print of this expression goes back to the time of Shakespeare, when some folks felt that sometimes the moon visually appeared blue in the sky. Although the expression dates all that way back, it has only recently come to mean the second Full Moon in one month. Blue Moon seems to be a truly modern piece of folklore, old folklore it is not, but real folklore it is.
Your geographic location can make a difference to your experience of a Blue Moon. Depending on your longitude you may go through a date change prior to other locations which means the full moon is at the first of your new month and falls at the end of the preceding month somewhere else. The "blue" one is always the 2nd full moon in the same month. The regular full moons of each month all have their own individual names as follows: Moon after Yule, Wolf Moon, Lenten Moon, Egg Moon, Milk Moon, Flower Moon, Hay Moon, Grain Moon, Fruit Moon, Harvest Moon, Hunters' Moon and Moon Before Yule.
Historically the Blue Moon was considered unlucky and a real nuisance when it occurred at various times of the year and upset scheduling of church festivals. In love songs the Blue Moon is often a symbol of sadness and loneliness.
The first appearance in print of this expression goes back to the time of Shakespeare, when some folks felt that sometimes the moon visually appeared blue in the sky. Although the expression dates all that way back, it has only recently come to mean the second Full Moon in one month. Blue Moon seems to be a truly modern piece of folklore, old folklore it is not, but real folklore it is.

New moon, Dark moon.
Dark moon occurs either side of the new moon. The new moon is between the last of the waning moon and the beginning of the waxing moon. The new moon has the power of in-between, a time which is not a time, similar to midday, midnight etc. If doing a Dark Moon rite, the active part of the ritual should be a good 45 minutes out from the actual new moon as the energies can be erratic. Also the waning moon allows you to calm down and tune out.