Jera, Rune of the Harvest

Jera is associated with the harvest; with the rewards of efforts diligently applied and purposefully acted. As the farmer prepares the soil; plants the seed, and waters, fertilizes, and cares for the growing plant he is building latent Jera energy that will spring forth for him in the fall at the Harvest. This is the energy of Jera.

Many forget that many of the northern European tribes were far more agriculture than war-like. The Vikings even had farmers who grew plants in plots for harvest for the general good. Farmers in many ancient cultures were held in high regard for they brought forth the bounty of the earth in a controlled and regular manner. In our modern age where we pop into a restaurant or head to the grocery store, we forget that the flour we buy had to be planted, tended, harvested, shelled, ground, and, in the case of white flour, bleached. Farmers were the providers of food; warriors were the providers of glory. Both very important in the Viking culture where one truly could not survive without the other.

Jera also talks about being receptive and open to the flow of life. If you have not received your harvest mayhap Jera is challenging you to look inside yourself. Did you do the appropriate work to make the harvest a possibility? Did you prepare the soil? Did you plant the seeds? Were you patient to wait for the seeds to grow to their full potential? Jera tells you to go within yourself to discover the true reason you can’t achieve the joy you want because Jera tells us that the joy lives within you.

Jera signifies happy and total completions. Ending and moving forward is a natural part of life. Whether the ending is a relationship, a thought process, a job, or attitude, with Jera the ending is one that will set you upon the right path for your new future.

Jera is aligned with the mighty oak tree. The oak has been held sacred by many tribal or earth based belief systems, believed to hold knowledge and wisdom in its ancient branches.

Jera is associated with the number twelve. If you are looking for a “time estimate” for the issue of the casting Jera gives you a factor of twelve. Twelve is the number of months in a year, so that is the first association that should be looked at for timing.

Another of the Runes that is right-side-up no matter which way it faces, Jera is not assigned a “reversed” meaning. Jera speaks of the true opportunities that we can now see from the new understanding of our self and how we interact with the world around us!

Jera – Harvest

Jera is a member of Hagal’s Aett.

Key Word(s): Harvest, bounty, fruitfulness, the annual twelve month cycle.

Element: Jera, so strongly aligned with harvest and the bounty of growth is aligned with the element of the earth from which the harvest comes forth.

Zodiac Sign: Jera is associated with the Sun Sign of Virgo.

Tarot Link: Jera is linked with the Tarot card The Fool. This association shows us the new beginnings that must be contemplated when Jera arrives. The Fool is ready to start his new journey – Jera is telling you to look ahead again because you have closed the old projects.

Color: Like many of the Runes Jera is equated with the color blue…the bright blue of the afternoon sky.

Polarity: Jera represents both male and female polarity. The earth is receptive, the seed is penetrating. As the earth feeds the seed the seed grows. Without the gentle receptive energy of the earth, the seed falters and dies; and, without the energy stored in the seed, the earth remains barren. Truly the harvest is a time when the application of both polarities is most aptly applied.

Healing Property: Appropriately, this rune is thought to hold special healing properties for those who have gastrointestinal problems. (It should be noted that the “harvest” was mainly concerned with the gathering of grains, vegetables and fruits; modern doctors recommend more fruits and vegetables and whole grain foods for those with gastric issues.)

Modern Letter Counterpart: Jera has an association with the letters G, J, and it’s strength is verified by it also holding an association with a vowel – Y.

Special Runic Associations: Jera is the Harvest rune and speaks not only of the harvest of crops, but also the harvest brought by personal efforts. Hence, this rune is one of the runes present in the Financial Help grouping.