Isa

“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.

*Isaz is the reconstructed Proto-Germanic name of the i-rune ᛁ, meaning "ice". In the Younger Futhark, it is called Iss in Icelandic and isa in Old Norse. As rune of the Anglo-Saxon futhorc, it is called is.

The corresponding Gothic letter is 𐌹 i, named eis.

The rune is recorded in all three rune poems:

Rune Poem:	English Translation:
Anglo-Saxon ᛁ Is byþ oferceald, ungemetum slidor, glisnaþ glæshluttur gimmum gelicust, flor forste geworuht, fæger ansyne.	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.
Old Icelandic ᛁ Íss er árbörkr ok unnar þak ok feigra manna fár. glacies jöfurr.	Ice is bark of rivers and roof of the wave and destruction of the doomed.
Old Norwegian ᛁ Ís kǫllum brú bræiða; blindan þarf at læiða.	Ice is called the broad bridge; the blind man must be led.

Runic Number: 11

Meaning: Cold. Freezing. Ice. Lack of Change.Lack of emotion. Stagnation. Bridge across danger. Storing binding.

Translation: Ice

Gemstone: Cat’s eye

Color: Black

Polarity: Female

Element: Ice (Water)

Gods: Verdandi

Astrology correspondence: The Moon

Tree: Alder

Plant: Henbane

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

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.