New Moon
The Moon is near conjunction with the Sun, so its sunlit hemisphere is mostly turned away from Earth.
Astronomy
The Moon is near conjunction with the Sun, so its sunlit hemisphere is mostly turned away from Earth. Phase boundaries in an eight-part model are conventions applied to a continuous change in lunar illumination.
Modern symbolic interpretation
Symbolically, modern astrology often treats the New Moon as a reset point for intention and beginnings.
This is an interpretive convention rather than a measured physical influence on human events.