Dagaz, the rune of the day, seems deceptively simple and uncomplicated. The darkness of ignorance, terror, unknowing and despair gives way to enlightenment, comfort and hope. The shape of the rune takes us some way to understanding that things are more complex than they seem. The rune has two halves, reminding us that enlightenment only comes after ignorance, at the end of despair. The dark night of the soul is a right of passage that must be experienced before the equanimity of Dagaz may be experienced. Dagaz is not the darkness, but without the darkness we can never come to know it.

Dagaz is also a gateway, perhaps the gateway. The courage needed to walk into the total unknown in pursuit of truth alone. What if you don’t like that truth? You can’t turn back, can’t un-know what you have seen. It is said to ease transitions: birth, initiation, rites of passage, death.

One of my favourite ways to work with Dagaz is to ‘wear’ it like a pair of spectacles. Trace the rune in front of your eyes to see the truth of a situation; this can be particularly helpful in seership and healing. Just make sure you take it off again as it’s not wise to wear them too long! Conversely, Dagaz can also be used to obscure the vision and makes a handy cloak when you don’t want to be noticed.

Dagaz holds within it the mystery of the cosmos. Within its shape the vast expanse of eternity unites with the smallest particle. Opposites are united, balance is achieved. Very occasionally a human being achieves a state of true transcendance, a moment of bliss and clarity which feels like an eternity and is gone in a moment. The northern tradition Gods are unusual in that we are told they too have temples in their realm, places of communion and worship . In their stories we see them striving for wisdom and insight just as we do. In them we see not some perfect, unattainable vision, but beings who – like us – strive to evolve into something better. The gift of the runes is all the more precious because through them the Gods offer us a transcendence they are also seeking.

Literal meaning: Day, daylight

Rich meaning: Gateway, change, enlightenment