Potential Barrier

“Water truly seems boundless to one who has set out in an unsteady vessel, the sea’s waves greatly alarm him, and the wave-steed will not obey the rein“

Neutrality at the level of forms manifests as the element of the Unconscious, which neutralizes conscious impulses within itself, being both their source and the abyss in which they drown.

This notion is symbolized by watery depths, and the Rune Laguz (water, lake; later: logr — waterfall) expresses the currents of force that flow from the depths of the Unconscious and back into those depths.

Mythologically, this Rune corresponds to the Vanir father Njord and his daughter Freya.

Njord, whose power is expressed in the winds over the Sea, is the binary counterpart of the subterranean depths: a god of the Heavenly Ocean who gives rise to the superconscious part of the Unconscious and, thus, is the Father of the Vanir in the same sense that Odin is the Father of the Aesir (the Mind). The fact that Njord, besides his own dwelling in Noatun, also resides in Asgard indicates his close connection with the Aesir, the formative principle of the Cosmos.

The uncontrolled aspect of the Over-mind — Aegir, a Jotun ruling the sea depths — establishes the link between the principles of Laguz and the primordial element of the Unconscious.

Freya, the most beautiful goddess, daughter of Njord and twin sister of Freyr, forms a vertical pair with Odin (while Frigg forms the horizontal pair), balancing the creative principle of the Great Aesir with the power of plasticity, of all-unity. It is no accident that Freya was the Jotuns’ eternal desire; she, who gives birth to the subconscious part of the Unconscious, is closer to them, the offspring of primordial Chaos, than any of the gods. The uncontrolled aspect of Laguz in this respect is the domination of its impulses over the mind, governed by the goddess Lofn.

Thus, the symbolic field of Laguz embraces both the individual and the collective Unconscious, pre-human, silent knowledge, a deep sense of the life-flow, and the element of Dreaming.

The Dreaming, whose world lies almost entirely in the element of Laguz, generally obeys the laws symbolized by this Rune: it grants experience only on the condition of control over it; otherwise its element plays with the mind as a raging sea plays with a ship. It is precisely the image of a ship sensing the sea’s life that accurately reflects the relationship between Mind and the Unconscious expanses of the Dreaming. A poorly fitted or poorly steered ship is doomed either to be swallowed by the sea or to be cast upon the shoals, whereas a good ship, firmly obedient to the rudder, will bring from across the sea unseen riches and wonders.

The graphic form of Laguz indicates the presence of a barrier in the transition of potential forces into actual realization: to obtain an increase of energy, a certain amount of force must first be expended. Therefore the passage from death to rebirth (on any level) within the sphere of Laguz requires an active search for a Way.

Moreover, incorporating the notion of Intuition (in its deep sense), Laguz defines the capacity for imagination, mediumship and heightened receptivity. At the same time, a reminder about the Barrier is in order here: everything that lies within the element of Laguz is safe only insofar as it is controlled. Another concept related to the Flowing Waters of Laguz is the idea of the great current of organic life — the waves of that life and its whirlpools. Therefore vital energy (in its flowing aspect) and organic development also fall within the sphere of Laguz.

Graphically Laguz relates not only to Mannaz (which can be considered the sum of two Laguz), but also to Ansuz, deprived of one of its bars (since the Unconscious is not yet the whole person being), and to Uruz, likewise missing one of its roots (since Laguz corresponds to the vital aspects of Navi, its transition into the manifest).

In view of the above it is clear that the magical application of Laguz included the development of intuition, control over dream- and ordinary visions, as well as the finding of psychic balance. Moreover, Laguz assists the search for the hidden, translating the potential into the actual.

It is likely that Sigrdrifa assigned Laguz to the “healing Runes”, having in mind its relation to the sources of life, and that Mimir’s Head noted that this rune adorned the “wolf’s claws”, emphasizing the unity of life and death.

At the same time, clumsy use of Laguz makes receptivity excessive, turning the person into a capricious plaything of unconscious impulses. In this aspect Laguz corresponds to the ship Naglfar, bearing the dead to battle against the gods, reflecting the victory of the Unconscious over the Mind.