Isa -Part 2
Edits In Progress
Translation:
Germanic: Isa
Mod Eng: Ice
Old Eng: Is
Phonetic: I
(Handbook, 39)
Physical: (2:3)
(Futhark, 12-13)
Divination:
+ Concentrated Self, Conciousness, Self Control, Unity
- Ego-mania, Dullness, Blindness, Dissipation (Handbook, 40)
Magickal Uses:
Development of concentration/will
Constriction, Halting unwanted forces
Ego Integration
Power of Control over spirits
Elements:
Ice: This is a rune of contraction, concentration, and cohesiveness. It is a coming together of forces, a concentration of the parts of the psyche that is necessary for practice and evolution. This is not the same ice as Niflheim.
Myths/Spiritual Connections:
This rune is connected to the secondary ice that flow out of Niflheim towards the fire issuing forth from Muspelheim. From this comes the mixture that brings forth life.
Isa is the force that brings elements together, the force of attraction, gravity, inertia, entropy.
(Futhark, 41)
This force is useful to the student in that it is an element that can help hold together aspects of the psyche during times of trial, during initiation, and evolution.
"The solid floor on which the consciousness can made transitions, but it is sometimes only as wide as a hair and does not make for an easy journey."
(Runelore, 123)
The Eights:
Row 1: Mysteries/Tools to learn
Row 2: Trials and Tribulations / Conflicts and paths to success
Row 3: The realm where the student works (Runelore, 140)
In the row of tools, Thurisaz is above Isa. This is a rune very opposite of Isa in that it is an aggressive kinetic expression. Instead of bringing together opposing forces, they clash and energy is released. It is a rune of physical strength, penetrating action, which is necessary to clear ground for a new beginning.
Isa is in the row of trials and paths to success. It points to the consolidation of our resources, our mind, for focus and internal awareness. The initiates needs this force to hold the mind or ego together during trials related to initiation. Balancing these forces helps contribute to order.
Ehwaz is in the row of the environment for the student. It can take the lesson of the Isa to another level. This is not just a harmony between aspects of the self, but creating harmony between others in the aspect of teamwork. This involves creating unity with the Fylgia or the spirit guide.
The three runes in a row starts with Nauthiz, the rune that represents both distress and the remedy of distress. One must first become aware of a problem or resistance in the world or psyche before one can begin to solve the problem.
Isa follows as if to teach that part of problem solving is going inward, the stillness of the mind and the focus of our energies towards our work.
Jera could point to agriculture and the physical world where the student may have acquired enough to live and be able to devote time to study. This is also a reference to reaping what the student has sewn. In Old English Jera is portrayed as the diamond seed penetrated by Isa, as in the seed is broken open by Ice so it can germinate and grow.
Final Thoughts:
It is also important to note that Isa occurs in almost all of the other runes forms except for 6 in the Elder Futhark. Jera is in a different form in the Old English or Anglo-Saxon runes and so contains Isa in that form.
Isa seems to function in the runes as a manifestation force. For example, Gebo is an open ended rune of endless giving and receiving. When you add Isa to it as in Mannaz and Dagaz, it brings that energy into a physical or spiritual body. Mannaz is the Gebo force found in mankind. Dagaz is the Gebo force found in the intellect or in the exchange between solar bodies, like the radiation exchange between the sun and earth necessary for warmth and life.
Kenaz is sacred fire, the funeral pyre, and the force of artistic creation. If it were combined with Isa it would cool the heat and cap the fire. It could look a lot like Thursaz and would then become a battle between the force of fire and humans. This could be useful in the case of wildfire that is out of control and destroying all in its path. Isa could be invoked to bring the fire under human control, consolidate the heat toward what the student intends to use it for, and channel that into a more constructive fire like the sacred flame of ritual. But the danger of using Isa in this way could affect the community by cutting off or chilling the flow of heat between citizens, cutting off the friction needed for creativity and innovation. Kenaz by itself serves well as the sacred fire. Thurisaz then is reserved for times when battle between out of control forces is necessary.
Gebo is another rune without Isa cutting through it, as discussed above. There are forms where Isa is crossed with Gebo as in the Mother Rune of the Hailstone.
The Elder version of Jera has no Isa rune in it as well. It may have something to do with the culture it came from, as discussed in an earlier entry: Jera -Part 2. Seafaring folk focused on the stars and the path of the sun for navigation. This form represents two Kenaz fire symbols cycling around each other representing the cycle of heat and cold of the seasons. Also representing the path of the sun as a navigational tool. If we add Isa to this rune, as in the Anglo-Saxon or Old English form, it becomes grounded on earth. The agricultural focus is on how seeds and the seasons interact. The seed is broken open during the freeze of winter so it can germinate in the spring. Many crops require being overwintered in order to germinate at all.
Sowelo also has no Isa rune in its form. This run represents the sun which Isa would cool and potentially threaten life. This rune is also a constant, endless, cycling force. Isa could still that force and cause cycles to come to an end. Bringing Isa together with Sowelo could bring about a loss of creation. In some rune formations runes are written down a straight line or along a cross. The cross or line used by the student is an attempt to manifest the power of the runes according to a formula. Isa is used in this way. But I would believe Sowelo itself should not be crossed with Isa so as not to lesson it's impact outside of rune magickal formula forms.
Ingwaz is the seed itself found in the Anglo-Saxon version of Jera. It is in its isolated state, whole and unbroken. Introducing Isa would break the seed open and completely change its function. Ingwaz is meant to represent the complete self, the inner temple, the seat of the soul. This foundation of self must be established strongly and without compromise first. If the seed is weak, then when it cracks open germination will fail and the crop will die. Ingwaz is simply a different rune that represents a different concept. Introducing Isa produces Jera.
Othala is the last rune that does not have Isa in its form. This rune does deal with property but not the material possessions that Fehu does. Othala's property is the land, the land that we belong to. We do not own it. It is a direct reference to burial ground or ancestral mound. I believe this has a very important lesson to teach. In our modern culture, we see land as a commodity, something to be bought and sold, like a car or a diamond. But the ancient people knew that we belonged to the earth. We could hand down the farm fields and the house, but the earth always outlives us. It is bigger than our erections and our cities. To ground that in Isa could chill that understanding. It could reverse or undo that lesson and produce the kind of society we have now where we see the world as a resource to be exploited, not a precious, living thing that our survival depends on. It is also important to remind you that Ingwaz, Gebo, and Kenaz forms can be found in Othala, as mentioned repeatedly in previous entries.
So Isa functions as a grounding and consolidating force in the rune forms as well. In some cases there are runes that represent a combination of Isa runes and non Isa runes like Kenaz plus Isa gives you Thurisaz. But there are other runes that need to be independent of Isa because of the forces they represent, and how that addition would stop or hinder this full expression.
The Rune Poem:
There is a rune in the Old English that looks like the hailstone, or Gebo plus Isa. It is called Iar and it is a reference to Jormungandr. This is the giant serpent, Loki's child, that hugs the earth while living deep beneath the sea.
Isa, in the Old English is purely an environmental element. It is referred to as a "pure floor". The author notes it may be in reference to rivers and oceans being frozen enough to travel over during the Ice Age.
3 Paths Through Midgard:
Isa is referred to as a tool of warfare in this stanza. It is the force that consolidates thoughts toward the war and victory. It is the force that tempers weapons to hardness. It is the force of concentration during battle that focuses the warrior on his task without getting distracted. The only negative use of ice in this stanza is the line "freeze in fear".
Translation:
Germanic: Isa
Mod Eng: Ice
Old Eng: Is
Phonetic: I
(Handbook, 39)
Physical: (2:3)
(Futhark, 12-13)
Divination:
+ Concentrated Self, Conciousness, Self Control, Unity
- Ego-mania, Dullness, Blindness, Dissipation (Handbook, 40)
Magickal Uses:
Development of concentration/will
Constriction, Halting unwanted forces
Ego Integration
Power of Control over spirits
Elements:
Ice: This is a rune of contraction, concentration, and cohesiveness. It is a coming together of forces, a concentration of the parts of the psyche that is necessary for practice and evolution. This is not the same ice as Niflheim.
Myths/Spiritual Connections:
This rune is connected to the secondary ice that flow out of Niflheim towards the fire issuing forth from Muspelheim. From this comes the mixture that brings forth life.
Isa is the force that brings elements together, the force of attraction, gravity, inertia, entropy.
(Futhark, 41)
This force is useful to the student in that it is an element that can help hold together aspects of the psyche during times of trial, during initiation, and evolution.
"The solid floor on which the consciousness can made transitions, but it is sometimes only as wide as a hair and does not make for an easy journey."
(Runelore, 123)
The Eights:
Row 1: Mysteries/Tools to learn
Row 2: Trials and Tribulations / Conflicts and paths to success
Row 3: The realm where the student works (Runelore, 140)
Isa is in the row of trials and paths to success. It points to the consolidation of our resources, our mind, for focus and internal awareness. The initiates needs this force to hold the mind or ego together during trials related to initiation. Balancing these forces helps contribute to order.
Ehwaz is in the row of the environment for the student. It can take the lesson of the Isa to another level. This is not just a harmony between aspects of the self, but creating harmony between others in the aspect of teamwork. This involves creating unity with the Fylgia or the spirit guide.
The three runes in a row starts with Nauthiz, the rune that represents both distress and the remedy of distress. One must first become aware of a problem or resistance in the world or psyche before one can begin to solve the problem.
Isa follows as if to teach that part of problem solving is going inward, the stillness of the mind and the focus of our energies towards our work.
Jera could point to agriculture and the physical world where the student may have acquired enough to live and be able to devote time to study. This is also a reference to reaping what the student has sewn. In Old English Jera is portrayed as the diamond seed penetrated by Isa, as in the seed is broken open by Ice so it can germinate and grow.
Final Thoughts:
It is also important to note that Isa occurs in almost all of the other runes forms except for 6 in the Elder Futhark. Jera is in a different form in the Old English or Anglo-Saxon runes and so contains Isa in that form.
Isa seems to function in the runes as a manifestation force. For example, Gebo is an open ended rune of endless giving and receiving. When you add Isa to it as in Mannaz and Dagaz, it brings that energy into a physical or spiritual body. Mannaz is the Gebo force found in mankind. Dagaz is the Gebo force found in the intellect or in the exchange between solar bodies, like the radiation exchange between the sun and earth necessary for warmth and life.
Kenaz is sacred fire, the funeral pyre, and the force of artistic creation. If it were combined with Isa it would cool the heat and cap the fire. It could look a lot like Thursaz and would then become a battle between the force of fire and humans. This could be useful in the case of wildfire that is out of control and destroying all in its path. Isa could be invoked to bring the fire under human control, consolidate the heat toward what the student intends to use it for, and channel that into a more constructive fire like the sacred flame of ritual. But the danger of using Isa in this way could affect the community by cutting off or chilling the flow of heat between citizens, cutting off the friction needed for creativity and innovation. Kenaz by itself serves well as the sacred fire. Thurisaz then is reserved for times when battle between out of control forces is necessary.
Gebo is another rune without Isa cutting through it, as discussed above. There are forms where Isa is crossed with Gebo as in the Mother Rune of the Hailstone.
The Elder version of Jera has no Isa rune in it as well. It may have something to do with the culture it came from, as discussed in an earlier entry: Jera -Part 2. Seafaring folk focused on the stars and the path of the sun for navigation. This form represents two Kenaz fire symbols cycling around each other representing the cycle of heat and cold of the seasons. Also representing the path of the sun as a navigational tool. If we add Isa to this rune, as in the Anglo-Saxon or Old English form, it becomes grounded on earth. The agricultural focus is on how seeds and the seasons interact. The seed is broken open during the freeze of winter so it can germinate in the spring. Many crops require being overwintered in order to germinate at all.
Sowelo also has no Isa rune in its form. This run represents the sun which Isa would cool and potentially threaten life. This rune is also a constant, endless, cycling force. Isa could still that force and cause cycles to come to an end. Bringing Isa together with Sowelo could bring about a loss of creation. In some rune formations runes are written down a straight line or along a cross. The cross or line used by the student is an attempt to manifest the power of the runes according to a formula. Isa is used in this way. But I would believe Sowelo itself should not be crossed with Isa so as not to lesson it's impact outside of rune magickal formula forms.
Ingwaz is the seed itself found in the Anglo-Saxon version of Jera. It is in its isolated state, whole and unbroken. Introducing Isa would break the seed open and completely change its function. Ingwaz is meant to represent the complete self, the inner temple, the seat of the soul. This foundation of self must be established strongly and without compromise first. If the seed is weak, then when it cracks open germination will fail and the crop will die. Ingwaz is simply a different rune that represents a different concept. Introducing Isa produces Jera.
Othala is the last rune that does not have Isa in its form. This rune does deal with property but not the material possessions that Fehu does. Othala's property is the land, the land that we belong to. We do not own it. It is a direct reference to burial ground or ancestral mound. I believe this has a very important lesson to teach. In our modern culture, we see land as a commodity, something to be bought and sold, like a car or a diamond. But the ancient people knew that we belonged to the earth. We could hand down the farm fields and the house, but the earth always outlives us. It is bigger than our erections and our cities. To ground that in Isa could chill that understanding. It could reverse or undo that lesson and produce the kind of society we have now where we see the world as a resource to be exploited, not a precious, living thing that our survival depends on. It is also important to remind you that Ingwaz, Gebo, and Kenaz forms can be found in Othala, as mentioned repeatedly in previous entries.
So Isa functions as a grounding and consolidating force in the rune forms as well. In some cases there are runes that represent a combination of Isa runes and non Isa runes like Kenaz plus Isa gives you Thurisaz. But there are other runes that need to be independent of Isa because of the forces they represent, and how that addition would stop or hinder this full expression.
The Rune Poem:
There is a rune in the Old English that looks like the hailstone, or Gebo plus Isa. It is called Iar and it is a reference to Jormungandr. This is the giant serpent, Loki's child, that hugs the earth while living deep beneath the sea.
Isa, in the Old English is purely an environmental element. It is referred to as a "pure floor". The author notes it may be in reference to rivers and oceans being frozen enough to travel over during the Ice Age.
3 Paths Through Midgard:
Isa is referred to as a tool of warfare in this stanza. It is the force that consolidates thoughts toward the war and victory. It is the force that tempers weapons to hardness. It is the force of concentration during battle that focuses the warrior on his task without getting distracted. The only negative use of ice in this stanza is the line "freeze in fear".
Comments
Post a Comment