Dagaz

As Rhett Butler walked out of her life, Scarlett O'Hara said "Tara! Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all... tomorrow is another day." Dagaz is the rune of that day. It is the fresh start, the new beginning, the dawn which marks the first day of the rest of your life.

Daybreak has always carried connotations of joy and renewal. (Grieg caught this beautifully in the "Daybreak" movement of his Peer Gynt: so too did Sibelius with his tone poem "Night Ride and Sunrise" and Wagner with his "Siegfried Idyll").  Dagaz is a joyful rune, one which is full of hope and promise. It is the sun which rises after a pitched battle, letting you know that you have made it through the worst of things and lived to fight another day. While it marks the close of a cycle, it is not the final ending of Ear or the eternal return of Jera.  Dagaz leaves you with that which you have already gained, then adds still more to your riches.

The Northern view of the world placed a great emphasis on wyrd,  the fate which you weave for yourself from the situation into which you were born and the hand you were dealt. Dagaz does not free us from our wyrd.  The dawn does not erase the debts we incurred the night before.  While we must still bear the consequences of our mistakes, we need not repeat them.  If you are struggling with addictions or compulsive behavior, Dagaz can help you find the strength to face them and overcome them. It can give you the clarity to recognize your failings and provide you with a way out of the thickets in which you have entangled yourself.  You may have failed a thousand times before: Dagaz tells you that you need not fail again.

If you have been struggling through a spiritual or material crisis, Dagaz can come as the light at the end of the tunnel.  The gloom is about to disperse: the dark night of the soul is giving way. This will typically happen quickly: the change will be less abrupt and shattering than Sowilo's lightning-strike but faster than the gradual developments of Jera. Used in healing magic, Dagaz can provide the strength to finally shake a lingering infection.  It can be an excellent rune for those seeking a new job: it can put you in touch with the employer who will notice your resume when hundreds have ignored it. And if you've been grappling for an answer to a thorny problem or struggling with a creative project, Dagaz can provide you with that moment of illumination when everything falls into place.

But these new beginnings may not be entirely pleasant. Like Sowilo, another rune connected with the sun, Dagaz is a bringer of light. That which was hidden in darkness may stand exposed in the cold light of day.  If you are not ready for the dawn, Dagaz can mark the "morning after" hangover.  For all its promise, Dagaz is implacable. Daybreak comes whether we plan for it or not. We cannot turn back time or stop the sun on its course. If we don't wake up and smell the coffee, we may be caught napping by those who were better prepared. In a reading Dagaz can function as an alarm clock, warning you that the Day of Reckoning is coming and you had best be ready.