Learn the Viking Runes: Jera
Jera is the Viking rune representing the cycles of the year. The Vikings followed a calendar based on the natural progression of the seasons, with specific times for planting seed, tending crops, and harvesting. This cycle is slow, but it’s predictable, regular, and generates results.
Jera is the only rune that includes two symbols. One appears to look forward while the other looks backward. In much the same way, we are caught between planning and remembering as we move through life. Jera reminds us that we live in the moment but need to be ready for tomorrow.
Understanding Jera: A Look at the Rune Poems
Jera appears in the Anglo-Saxon rune poem thus:
Jera is a joy to men when the gods make the earth to bring forth shining fruits for rich and poor alike.
Jera is the runic letter J.
What Does It Mean When Jera Appears in a Rune Reading?
When Jera appears in a rune reading, it is often a sign to stop and examine where you are currently in an ongoing cycle of events. Jera represents both beginnings and endings. You may be in a position where it’s ideal to undertake a new endeavor, or it might be the right moment to bring an ongoing project to a close.
Jera reminds us that life is a long-term endeavor. It’s a fortunate rune to have during any planning process, particularly if you’re thinking in terms of years or even decades. Throughout the course of your plan, many cycles will repeat – day and night, summer and winter – while you must remain committed to your course.
Jera is a rune of commitment, but it’s also a rune of joy. Every cycle has happiness in it. In the agricultural calendar the Vikings lived by, harvest season meant celebration. Over the course of a dark Northern winter, the longest night is followed immediately by lengthening days.
