Jera: All Is Cyclical

Jera: the Year

Meaning: Cycles, Divine Timing, Gradual Growth, Steady Change, Revolution, Time, Timing

Affirmation: I am growing and evolving within Divine Time.

Associations: Evolution, Harvests, the Letter Z

Jera is the rune of the year, and embodies the energy of cyclical change. Where Hagalaz is chaotic and sudden, Jera is steady, and slow. As we move throughout the calendar year, we experience Jera's wisdom, as it returns time and time again to the same seasons in a new way, garnering every small, delicious bit of wisdom to be learned from repeating the same things for the sake of enjoying every aspect of the experience, good and bad.

When I think of Jera, I cannot help but think of the seasons, most especially autumn. No other season seems to embody the gentle beauty of change as much as fall does, with the much anticipated change in the tree's leaves from emerald to gold, orange, and red, before they wither and fall away at the close of the season. Birds fly away to find sanctuary in warmer places alongside butterflies and other migratory species, mammals hurry about preparing for the arrival of the cold, and many insects begin to settle away in hidden burrows to await the return of spring. While change can also embody the resplendence of spring, full of flowers and the return of abundance, something about the somber sincerity of autumn giving way to the chilly hush of winter resonates so much more with my understanding of the energies of Jera. There is something wonderful in letting go, Jera and autumn both imply, and the steady promise, as well, that something beautiful will come to take its place, no matter how bitter or cold the in-between.

Jera is not made up of many runes, and is among the more interesting to incorporate in sigils because of its unique and free flowing shape. I think that this fits the energy of Jera perfectly well, however: time is simple. It has a beginning, middle, and end, but also tends to return to points and places it has made and been before. There is not much anyone of us can do against this force, at the end of the day, but to learn to cooperate with its matter of fact nature.

The first rune I see when I look at Jera is Kenaz. I find this very fitting, as Kenaz is a rune of insight and wisdom, which the cycles of Jera most certainly provide. Over the course of our lives and various incarnations, we gain knowledge and progress on our life path, further illuminating to us deeper truths and realities about our purpose. These illuminations develop and temper our spirit over time, slowly changing who we are - hopefully for the better!

That Jera is not a circle, but instead two Kenaz facing one another, is a reminder that our time is not unlimited. There is a set period in which we are asked to gather insights, before that time has passed. Nothing is permanent, nor should it be! Jera reminds us to cherish each moment as it passes, and to take into account the value and importance of these moments in relation to our potential futures, as well. In many cases, the chance to gain this wisdom is fleeting - at least the chance to gain it in a way that is most beneficial to us in the long run.

The last rune I see in Jera is Isa, the rune of Ice. Jera has completely captured this energy, and shakes it all over the place, disallowing for the stale, steady energies of stagnation to take over anything for very long at all. Where Isa has remained, from my perspective, is in the predicable, cyclical nature of Jera, who always seems to return to the same points over and over again. This measure of repetitiveness and gradual change provides a degree of balance to Jera, giving it a gentler, more transient energy in comparison to the much more dramatic rune of chaotic, sudden change, Hagalaz.

In addition to heralding positive changes, Jera also reminds us that it is important to remember that not all cycles and changes serve us, and to consider how they will effect us at a later time. Perhaps we are blocking the energies of Jera from bringing gradual and steady change into our lives by not progressing in the ways we know we should, or maybe we are focusing on the wrong type of harvest (intentionally or unintentionally). Regardless, Jera sometimes asks us to consider the long term potential of our current course of action, and whether or not we truly want to end up where it is leading us.

The energies of Jera ask us to master our ability to look ahead at the potential consequences of our actions, and to do what is best for our future using our own insight and wisdom. It also encourages us to face change without fear or apprehension, instead accepting, and even looking forward to, the new energies these changes can bring to your life.

I have included a spread that uses Jera's wisdom from my upcoming book of divination spreads based on the Elder Futhark, Runic Wisdom. This particular spread is called "The Shackle," and reveals cycles that are not serving us any longer. An easily shareable image containing this spread can be found on my Instagram! If you or someone you know uses this spread, I'd love to see your pulls. Please use the tags #RunicWisdom or #RunicWisdomJera to make sure I get a gander.