Isa, the Rune of Stasis

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Meaning: ice   Phonetic equivalent: 'I'

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem

Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery;

it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems;

it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon.

Norwegian Rune Poem

Ice we call the broad bridge;

the blind man must be led.

Icelandic Rune Poem

Ice

bark of rivers

and roof of the wave

and destruction of the doomed.

Isa

Cala Gobraith, 2009

Isai- the slow sleepers,

impassive strength of glacial might.

Indifferent, impersonal, Isa is the essence of

immobility and stasis- the rigidity of

intolerance and inflexibility that

inhibits the flow of creativity, freezing the

imagination in an icy prison.

To Krasskova, Isa represents stillness, quiet, inner contemplation, centeredness, implacability,  being unyielding, drawing boundaries and self-protection.

Freya Aswynn sees Isa as ice, preservation, stasis, maintaining stability and personal integrity, rest and rejuvenation, slowing down and maintaining status quo.  Within Isa, she sees lessons of self-preservation and self-containment, part of which is individualism.

Melville sees this rune as stasis, frustration of plans, obstacles, imposed rest, stillness both inner and outer, initiation, appreciation of the present, acceptance, surrender and introspection. Association: deity- Verdandi, tree- alder, plant- henbane, animal- reindeer, bird- snowy owl, astrology- moon, color- black, element- earth.

To Oswald, Isa represents ice, stagnation, lack of change, lack of emotion, storing and binding. Association: deity- Verdandi, tree- alder, plant- henbane, astrology- moon, color- black, element- ice (water), stone- cat's eye.

For Paxson, Isa is a rune of  ice, inertia, inner stillness, rest, a protective shield and one's core integrity. She also considers that imbalance with this rune can create a personal prison where the person cannot change or, if overstressed, shatters emotionally.

I see Isa as ice, stasis, rest, rejuvenation, and glacial strength.

Meditation associations: Crack and groan of glaciers, sigil as vertical cleft in the ice, scent of snow and ice, vast glaciers tall and countless miles long, solidified lava, stasis, hibernation, steel door locked and closed, pale grey sky, resting, ages of cold, sluggishness, imperceptible movement.

Runes: Theory and Practice, Galina Krasskova

Power and Principles of the Runes, Freya Aswynn

The Book of Runes, Francis Melville

Discovering Runes, Bob Oswald

Taking up the Runes, Diana Paxson