Dagaz – Rune of Enlightenment
As Jera is the rune of the cycle of the year, Dagaz is the rune of the cycle of each day. It is the rune of the breaking dawn, when the first light hits the retina and we find ourselves fully awake… but it goes far beyond this to talk about spiritual light, awakening and ascension for which the dawn is a symbol.
Should Dagaz Be Last?
While tradition often places the Othala rune as the final symbol in the Elder Futhark, there are compelling arguments for considering Dagaz as the ultimate rune in the sequence. Proponents of this positioning highlight the symbolic closure that Dagaz represents. As a rune of enlightenment and new beginnings, it exhorts a sense of completion and rebirth in its symbolic cycle, paralleling Ragnarök being the end of one era and the ushering in of another.
Historical evidence regarding the position of Dagaz as the final rune in the Elder Futhark is sparse and often indirect, primarily stemming from scholarly interpretations and rune stone inscriptions. While the traditional Elder Futhark sequence typically ends with Othala, there have been discussions among some modern rune scholars about the order due to variations present in historical artefacts. These artefacts rarely present the full set of runes which poses a challenge in establishing a definitive sequence.
Stripped back meaning based on the actual word and shape
As previously mentioned in our discussion about Mannaz, the shape of this rune is a stylised, angular version of the lemniscate or infinity symbol. Here we find it liberated from the constraints of the physical body, the duality of 3D consciousness and the limitations of the ego mind. This is quite literally our Higher Mind that we can connect with through meditation and that we are left with after we die.
As you can imagine, if we have spent this incarnation listening only to the monkey chatter of the ego-mind, we will find ourselves very lost indeed when we pass on to the Other Side.
This Higher Mind is literally limitless. The more of it we harness, the more miracles we will experience in our lives. But more importantly, the more of it we harness, the more brightly we will shine as beacons of hope in a world that so desperately needs it.
This rune brings with it the idea of a return to the zero point in the middle of the lemniscate. There is complete equanimity there, as well as harmony/integration/transcendence of opposites. On a physical level, there is complete harmony between two equally well-developed brain hemispheres.
You may have seen the pronunciation for this rune as ‘DAY-gahz’ elsewhere. That is not likely to be close to the old Norse pronunciation. I’m going with ‘DAWG-ahs’ myself which is closer to the modern Swedish ‘dagas.’
Correspondences
- Polarity: Gender neutral
- Astrological correspondence: Pluto
- Tarot card correspondences: XX Judgement
- Colours: White, gold, purple, magenta
- Archangel correspondences: Archangel Metatron, Higher Self, Azrael
- Chakra correspondences: Soul Star Chakra and the Higher Heart Chakra
- Health: harmony, sanity, brain health, eye disorders
Divinatory Meanings
General: enlightenment, awakening, hope, transcendence, acceptance (for without it there can be no hope), dawn, ‘seeing the light at the end of the tunnel’ – Reversed: N/A
Love & relationships: a relationship between awakened partners who have consciousness evolution as their common goal; dullness could be indicated if poorly aspected – Reversed: N/A
Health/wellbeing: focus on holistic modalities that bring about a general sense of harmony and wellbeing, daily meditation as a prescription, no longer sweating the small stuff, epileptic seizures, problems affecting the eyesight – Reversed: N/A
Business: a business focused on bringing consciousness evolution to the world – Reversed: N/A
Holistic Healing Tips for Dagaz
Chanting ‘DAWG-ahs’ while visualising first light breaking in the East can remind us that all is well and that this too shall pass. The light always returns and darkness isn’t ‘real’ – it is merely an absence of the Light. We carry the Light Eternal within us.
However, it is important to remember to not equate light with good and dark with bad/evil. There would be no dawn without the preceding darkness of night. It’s all cyclical and that is what the shape of this rune serves as a constant reminder of.
Affirmations
- I accept that everything is in divine order.
- I AM.
- I am a beacon of hope.
- The light in my eyes tells a story of hope.
- I love the world like the sun loves the world first thing in the morning.
- There is always a solution.
- To be alive is to be in harmony.
- Eternity is my home.
Dagaz Prayer
Dear Mother-Father God, Help me accept the seemingly limiting circumstances I find myself in and realise that everything is well. With your guiding hand, I can liberate my mind and harmonise my existence. Thank you for your loving support on this journey and I only have to lift my eyes to be filled with light and hope once more. Amen and so it is!
Dagaz Hyperborean Water Magic
Using Dagaz or the infinity symbol is the quickest way to bless water in general. That’s because it quickly disperses dense and stagnant energy. You can think of it as dropping a little bomb of divine light into your cup of water. You can use it together with Laguz to create ‘Holy Water.’
How to Charge the Water
- Draw the rune over your glass or another glass vessel with the pointer and middle finger on your dominant hand.
- Chant the name of the rune three times.
- Visualise the rune glimmering in the colour of your choice as you chant (see colour correspondences above).
- Visualise the light from the rune charging every molecule in the water until the light expands beyond the glass. When the light has formed an aura around the glass that you can see or feel with your hands, it is ready to drink/use.
Dagaz Water Magic
You can start your day by drinking Dagaz-charged water as a form of greeting the dawn and a new beginning. This can set a positive tone for the day ahead, helping you to embrace enlightenment and awaken with a sense of hope and renewed energy.
Incorporate Dagaz-charged water into your meditation or other spiritual practices to help you connect with your Higher Self. Use it to enhance your focus on enlightenment and to facilitate a deeper sense of peace and spiritual harmony.
Whenever you’re faced with a challenging situation and you need to ‘see the light at the end of the tunnel’, sip Dagaz-charged water to remind yourself that all challenges are temporary. Allow it to bring you clarity and the hope needed to navigate through difficult times.
Utilize Dagaz-charged water in holistic healing sessions aimed at achieving mental harmony and brain health. Its correspondences suggest it could aid in balancing the brain hemispheres and support treatments for eye disorders.
When working on creative projects or when brainstorming for innovative solutions in business, Dagaz-charged water could be used to tap into limitless possibilities. It encourages a return to the ‘zero point’—a state of pure potential and originality where no idea is too far-fetched to consider.
Take me back to the Elder Futhark Rune Index!
Try the Dagaz Light Eternal Rune Tarot Spread!
