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“Ice only appears to stop a river’s flow.”
Isa - “Iss-ah” – Literally: “Ice” – Esoteric: Stasis, Stillness
Rune of concentration of things in a static or frozen state. Rune of stillness and the Ego-Self.
Psi: mental faculties, focus, ego, self-image/self-identity
Energy: stillness, contraction, stasis
Mundane: cold, self-preservation, harsh reality
Divinations: Concentrated self, ego-consciousness, self-control, unity of being; or egomania, dullness, blindness, dissipation, immobility, self-centeredness, lack of change, psychopathy.
Governs:
Development of concentration, will and focus
Halting of unwanted dynamic forces as an act of self-defense (ard against demonic influences)
Basic ego integration within a balanced multiversal system
Power of control and constraint over other wights (entities), emotional outbursts
Focus of the will into single-minded action
My Notes:
Ice is beautiful and treacherous. It lulls the traveler to sleep with its peace and serenity. Nice locks life under its surface and keeps it motionless. However, there is little else as powerful as the slow moving glacier, which can tear apart even the bedrock as it inches forward. Although ice generally shows itself as it is, with little glamor, there is little so treacherous as a weak spot in the ice that will swallow the unwary with surprising swiftness, and soon enough leave hardly a trace. The hidden part of an iceberg, which represents 90% of its bulk, can remain hidden and gut a ship with little mercy. This is how the ancients saw ice: inimical, even hostile to life. Therefore this third rune of the second aett is yet another rune that represents an aspect of the harshness of reality.
In the most elementary dynamic, Isa is a building block of the physical world, slowing down fire energy and solidifying it.
Isa is a rune of control. As your ego-self grows in strength through spiritual thinking and training, this construct matures into the individualized YOU (or the ‘I’).
There is a dark side to this enhancement of ego as you can see by the dark side of Isa. When not kept under control, the ego-self can take a path into ego-trips of self-aggrandizement, superficial desire and fall for the glitter of false trappings instead of real spiritual substance. Those who claim to know with too much certainty: beware!
Isa will control and quiet emotional distress, but be wary! It will not eliminate any persistent root cause of unpleasant circumstance. But it can help in extending stillness into your aura. Isa is particularly useful in attaining stillness of presence.
You can leave your comments on what you just read using the box below. I always try to reply within 24 hours. Your insights become a permanent part of this article!
October 14th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
If possible could you please provide further insight to this Rune?
Recently, I received this Rune. I have been struggling with spirituality and self-healing through honest self-awareness.
It was a little scary reading something that was so accurrate!!!
Thank you,
S.A.M.
October 14th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Thanks for commenting, S.A.M. I’ll see what I can add, as soon as I have time. If you have any specific questions, those would be helpful in compiling a response, and your specific contribution would undoubtedly help future visitors.
Isa represents the ‘ice’ blocks which stop movement from occurring. Isa can be positive and hold promise that those blocks are about to break up. With Isa, change comes from very deep within, just like a glacier, and its slow force is irresistible.
Isa, on the second row or aiett, especially the first three runes, Hagalaz, Nauthiz and Isa (but also the fourth, if you think about it a little, Jera) strongly symbolize our individual helplessness to the more inimical, ultimately uncontrollable aspects of the universe. As healing runes, they all send us toward contemplations of surrender and acceptance of what truly is beyond our ability to influence.
I have found that we can spend a tremendous amount of energy, often unconsciously, on trying to change things that we have no power to change. We regret our fixed past, and worry about our unknown future. We don’t always yield to stark realities. In this way, energy is diverted from healing and awareness, where it might be useful, and is wasted.
This is one of the lessons of Orlog — the cosmic laws outside the influence of humankind — and how it differs from the magic/psychology of Wyrd, our more individual freedom within the greater weave of all things.
If you’ve more questions, do not hesitate at all to come back and ask them!
-Tyriel
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:26 am
[...] ourselves. Algiz lifts us away from the limiting egocentricity which comes part and parcel with ISA’s rune [...]
October 13th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
Isa reminds me of the crystaline beauty after a Hagalaz “storm” has riped through our subconciousness. After freezing tempatures and icey winds, stepping out into a quiet world of sparkling ice is to me very peaceful and pure. Perhaps it is akin to snow… the snow that blankets the earth holding incredible amounts of “growth” energy inside the earth until spring when it is suddenly released through the melting ice.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
I love this visual metaphor. There is a kind of peace with Isa, though it can be deceptive, as things can still be brewing beneath the surface.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:11 am
Very true. I suppose one has to trust she knows how to navigate a winter wonder land safely. If one is feeling too cautious or afraid in this case perhaps Raidho energy is in order.
October 14th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
Hel: I love your imagery for Isa! Most especially as I have just come in out of an October snow storm (a gentle pretty sort of one). I have often contemplated Isa as I watch the spring ice flows, but had not thought of it as you describe – that beauty after a Hagalaz storm. Thank you for that thought and all your other contributions,which I am greatly enjoying!
On the subject of safe travel, I often combine Raidho and Algiz to protect myself and my baggage.
October 16th, 2009 at 9:52 am
:) Last night in meditation I had a vision that went like this: I became a large tree with roots that reached down into the underworld, My truck was thick and very huge. At first glance I had no branches or leaves. Taking a closer look the branches and leaves were a spiritual energy so fine they were barely noticeable, but looked like clear, sparkling, crystal-like vibrations. My aim was to allow this “heavenly” energy to seep down into earth and the underworld and at the same time pull energy up from the underworld and earth into the branches and leaves. As the root energy came up – the leaves immediently turned visible and looked mundanely physical. They turned green and then quickly turned yellow and brown and fell off the tree. Suddenly there were winter storms that covered the ground with snow and then spring came and the tree was renewed with green leafy branches.
To me this says: Many angels (or whatever you want to call spiritual beings and energy) come here and fall once they take on too much of the physical earthy energy. But this gives the earth a higher vibration and because angels never “die” the ice and snow come to help contain enough energy so the spirit beings may “grow” again. When the world is full of higher energy will there be no need for winter for a long, long, time?
October 16th, 2009 at 11:06 am
I believe in this tradition, we don’t call them angels. They are wights.
Specifically, the angel archetype fits with the warrior maidens that are the Valkyrie. But if you’re refering to any entity, a person or a psychic thing like a demon or anything.. it is a wight.
I may be wrong but I think that’s the agreement.