Rune Study : Jera
Jera : Year
“The wheel turns
As the sod crunches
Frozen beneath the cart.
The wheel turns
As the snow melts
And the plow bites
Into the earth’s darkness.
The wheel turns
As the rains come
And light green dusts
The breast of the field.
The wheel turns
And the golden stalks wave
In warm, lush winds
Under a brilliant sky.
The wheel turns
As the scythe whooshes
Through the golden stalks
At the time of harvest.
The wheel turns
And time repays you
For the patience you’ve shown
About the seeds you sowed.”
-Modern Rune Poem by E. Vongvisith
Jera teaches of the cycles in life; the changing of the seasons, planting and harvesting, and the patience to act at the right time to achieve our goals and reap the fruit if our labours.
Life itself is all about the flow of cyclical force. Look at DNA. The spiral is imbedded in us at a cellar level. The journeys we undertake in life can also manifest these cycles. We often go through many similar experiences, until we have harvested all the lessons our spirit needs to continue growing.
At times, it is a major challenge to have the patience an understanding of these cycles while in the midst of them. But it is important to remember that the cycle continues…and seeing things come to fruition can be one of the most beautiful experiences we can have.
Cyclical patterns in our own psyche can also be challenging to face. At times it seems, we overcome all obstacles easily, then after a while, it is easy to get caught up in old patterns and old ways of thinking. Jera can help us break these patterns, end the cycle of abuse, and begin anew, learning and growing, and “harvesting” lessons from the cycles themselves, and the breaking of them. The cycle of abuse is something I personally experienced in my own life, and there are still times I find myself struggling with old patterns and behaviours. Being able to see that happening, becoming aware, and not allowing those patterns to manifest, is hard, but rewarding. Because after those subtle behaviours are brought to light, they can be examined, dismantled, and replaced with something new.
This rune always brings to mind a garden for me. As the seasons wax and wane, there is a very direct representation of the passage of time. When managing or building a garden, one must understand the cycles of the moon, the sun, the seasons….this understanding is integral if one wants a good harvest. Jera is about cultivation. When these cycles are utilized, one gets a good harvest, has a healthy garden. If one plants at the wrong time, the harvest will suffer, or pests will thrive, or the seedlings will get scorched. The lessons I learn in the garden are so precious to me, as I find connections to my life there, in the dirt.
Jera coming up in a reading can be pointing to a cyclical pattern appearing in your life, a time to reap the benefits of previous action (cultivation), or encouraging you to be aware of the possibility of a cycle forming. It can represent an upcoming event, usually within the next year after the reading takes place.
I am Jera. The wheel turns. The cycle begins and ends and begins again. The journey does not end, for the journey is a circle. I am Jera, the cycle of life.
Image credit: Sigha Manning of Circle Of Yggdrasil