Jera - The Meanings of the Runes

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Jera, the twelfth letter in the Elder Futhark alphabet, directly translates to "year". More specifically, it is the year's culminations and the harvest season. Jera is not just an examination of the agricultural harvest or the year as a unit of time. Rather, it represents the year as a completion of a cycle and the harvest is the reward received at the end of that cycle. Jera is the natural flow and cycle of life.

We commit time to taking action, making decisions. Jera is the result. Jera is a rune of cause and effect. As positive as all of that sounds, keep in mind that this is the reaping in the saying "You reap what you sow." If the actions you're taking and the decisions you're making are negative, the result will also be negative.

Jera also stand for the principle of eternal return: when one cycle ends, another begins. Preferably, you begin every new cycle as a better person or with/being more than you did the previous cycle. Therefore, this is also a rune of transformation.

There have been several previous runes so far that focus on the cold--experiencing a period of struggle and difficulty so one can come out the other side having been transformed. Jera provides the balance for those previous transformative runes. Consider when the harvest takes place--jera is a summer rune, it provides warmth. Transformation can be caused by struggle, yes, but it can also be gentle and self-imposed. You spend a cycle putting the work in toward something and at the end, you are rewarded for this positive work. This can be just as altering as a struggle.

In a reading, jera is almost always a positive rune. Almost. But you have to be honest with yourself. If it comes up in a reading and the work you've been doing is lacking, negative, or dishonest, then it may be a warning of the results your efforts (or lack of) may yield. There is still time to turn around your behavior in order to put good work in and be rewarded instead of punished. It could be a sign of upcoming prosperity or abundance. Just keep in mind that the change or reward it is signifying may likely be something subtle. Natural change is subtle and often slow and jera is very in tune with the natural flow of things.

This rune can be used to amplify the flow of energy. It is wonderful for healing spells, specifically when a part of the normal bodily functions are out of alignment. It works well for abundance, prosperity, and to encourage natural changes. Use jera to aid in a spell in which you are putting in a hefty amount of effort on the mundane level in order to enhance the end reward and results.

Summary

Direct translation: "Year"

Symbolizes: Completion of a cycle, reward or punishment, caused effect, eternal return, transformation, abundance

Features to note: Jera is the flipside to the previous cold transformation runes. A transformative rune of warmth. It reflects the reward or punishment that will match whatever efforts you are putting into an endeavor or situation: "You reap what you sow."

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Resources (paid links):

Taking Up the Runes by Diana L. Paxson

Runes for Beginners by Lisa Chamberlain