Laguz Rune Meditation: Diving into the Unconscious & Awakening Deep Intuition

By Nicole Lau

Laguz (ᛚ) is the rune of water — of the deep unconscious, of the intuitive wisdom that flows from the depths of the psyche like a river from its source. To meditate with Laguz is to dive beneath the surface of ordinary awareness: to enter the deep, still waters of the unconscious where the accumulated wisdom of all experience is held, where the currents of feeling and fate flow according to their own logic, where the intuitive knowing that cannot be reached by the analytical mind is waiting to be accessed. This is the meditation of the Norse seeress who gazes into the well of Urd — the primordial waters that reflect the patterns of wyrd.

This meditation is particularly powerful for: accessing deep intuitive knowing that is not available to the analytical mind, processing complex emotions that have been held beneath the surface, connecting with the dream world and the unconscious, developing the emotional intelligence that allows you to navigate the currents of feeling and relationship with skill, and any practice that requires the fluid, adaptive wisdom of water.

Before You Begin

Light a blue or silver candle. Place a bowl of natural water before you — still water, so that it can serve as a mirror for the unconscious. If you have a Laguz rune stone or amulet, hold it in your non-dominant hand — the receiving hand, the hand that is open to what flows in from the depths. Work in a quiet, dimly lit space. If possible, have the sound of water nearby.

Take three slow, deep breaths — and with each exhale, feel yourself sinking slightly deeper, like a stone settling slowly through still water. By the third breath, feel yourself at the surface of the deep — ready to dive.

Part One: The Surface

Close your eyes. In your mind's eye, find yourself standing at the edge of a deep, still lake — a Norse lake, dark and cold and ancient, surrounded by forest. The surface of the lake is perfectly still, reflecting the sky above like a mirror. This is the surface of the unconscious: the boundary between the ordinary world of consciousness and the deep world of the psyche.

Look at the surface of the lake. What do you see reflected there? The reflection is not always accurate — it shows you what the unconscious is currently reflecting back to you, which may be different from what you think you see when you look at your life from the surface. What images, feelings, or knowings arise as you gaze at the water's surface?

Ask Laguz: "What is the unconscious currently reflecting back to me? What is the surface of my inner life showing me right now?"

Part Two: The Dive

Now — dive. Enter the water and feel yourself sinking slowly through the layers of the unconscious. The water is cold and dark, but not threatening — it is the darkness of depth, of the place where the light has not yet reached, not the darkness of danger. You can breathe here; this is your element as much as the air above.

As you sink, feel the layers of the unconscious passing around you: first the recent past, the emotions and experiences of the last days and weeks; then deeper, the patterns of the last months and years; deeper still, the ancestral patterns that have been flowing through your lineage for generations; and at the very bottom, the primordial waters — the deep unconscious that connects you to all of humanity, to the living world, to the cosmos itself.

Rest at whatever depth feels right. You do not need to go to the very bottom; go as deep as you are ready to go. The unconscious will show you what you are ready to see.

Part Three: The Currents

In the depths, become aware of the currents — the flows of feeling, memory, and knowing that move through the unconscious like rivers through the deep. These currents are not random; they have their own logic, their own direction, their own wisdom. They are carrying you somewhere, whether you are aware of it or not.

Feel the currents that are currently most active in your unconscious. What are they carrying? What direction are they flowing? What are they trying to bring to the surface of your awareness?

Ask Laguz: "What currents are flowing in my unconscious right now? What is the deep water trying to bring to the surface? What does the unconscious know that the conscious mind has not yet recognized?"

Receive whatever comes — images, feelings, memories, knowings. The unconscious speaks in the language of symbol and sensation rather than the language of logic and analysis. Trust what you receive, even if it does not immediately make sense.

Part Four: The Well of Urd

At the deepest point of your dive, you find the Well of Urd — the primordial waters from which the Norns draw the water they use to nourish Yggdrasil, the waters that contain the patterns of all wyrd. This is the deepest level of the unconscious: the place where your personal story connects to the larger story of all existence.

Gaze into the Well of Urd. What do you see? The well reflects not just your personal past and future, but the larger patterns of fate that are operating in your life — the currents of wyrd that are carrying you toward your destiny. Ask: "What pattern of fate is most active in my life right now? What is the larger story that my personal story is part of?"

Receive whatever comes with the openness of the seeress who gazes into the well without agenda — simply receiving what the deep waters choose to show.

Part Five: The Laguz Galdr

With the deep water wisdom fully present, begin the Galdr. Take a slow, deep breath that fills your belly — the body's water center. On the exhale, chant: "Laaaa-guz" — fluid, flowing, like water moving over stones. The “La” should be open and resonant; the “guz” should flow downward and outward, like water finding its level. Feel the sound moving through your body like a current through still water.

Chant nine times. With each repetition, feel your connection to the deep waters strengthening — your intuitive sensitivity increasing, your emotional intelligence deepening, your ability to flow with the currents of life rather than fighting them becoming more natural and more reliable. By the ninth chant, you may feel a quality of fluid, receptive awareness — the feeling of being in the flow, of moving with the current rather than against it.

Part Six: The Return

After the Galdr, begin to rise slowly through the layers of the unconscious — carrying with you whatever wisdom the deep waters have offered. Feel yourself moving upward through the depths, through the layers of the psyche, until you reach the surface again.

Break the surface gently. Open your eyes and look into the bowl of water before you — the physical water that mirrors the inner water you have just explored. What do you see in the water's surface now? What has changed in your perception since you began?

Write down everything you received in the depths before the ordinary mind reasserts its dominance. Laguz's wisdom is fluid and easily lost if not immediately recorded.

Laguz Meditation for Specific Situations

For accessing intuition: A brief Laguz practice — Part Two and the Galdr — before any situation requiring deep intuitive knowing activates the unconscious wisdom that Laguz carries. Even five minutes of diving into the deep water can significantly enhance your intuitive accuracy.

For emotional processing: When you are carrying emotions that feel too large or too complex to process consciously, perform the full meditation with those emotions held in mind during Part Three. Laguz's water energy allows emotions to flow through and out of the body rather than remaining stuck in the depths.

For dreamwork: Perform the full meditation before sleep, ending with the intention to receive a significant dream. Place your Laguz amulet under your pillow. Record your dreams immediately upon waking; Laguz's wisdom often comes through the dream world.

Deepen your Laguz meditation with the Seidr Trance: Norse Shamanic Journey Audio — which guides you into the deep trance states where the unconscious is most fully accessible, the states used by the Norse völva for exactly this kind of deep water wisdom work. For the ancestral dimension, Ancestral Runes: Viking Lineage Connection Audio connects you with the ancestral currents that flow through the deep waters of your lineage. When I work with the currents of wyrd and the deep water wisdom of Laguz, I find the Void Whisper Audio invaluable for drifting into those still depths, the Void of Course Moon Audio for honoring the sacred pause between currents, the Blue Moon Audio for rare manifestation portals that arise from the deep, the Emotional Filter Ritual Kit for processing what surfaces from the unconscious, and the Divine Union Alignment Audio for aligning with the deeper currents of fate in relationship.