Isa
Ice
About Isa
Isa is the rune of ice — stillness, preservation, and the necessary pause between action and action. In the Norse creation myth, the world began when fire met ice, and Isa represents that primordial ice: the potential energy that exists before creation, the silence before the word, the winter that must pass before spring can arrive.
Upright Meaning
Everything stops. Isa is ice — beautiful, still, and unyielding. Plans freeze, progress halts, and the world seems locked in place. This is not failure but a necessary pause. Ice preserves what lies beneath it. The stillness you are experiencing is protecting something that is not yet ready to emerge. Wait. Be patient. The thaw will come when it comes, not when you demand it.
No Reversed Meaning
Isa has no reversed meaning. The vertical line looks the same in any orientation. In challenging positions, Isa can indicate depression, emotional numbness, or a freeze response to trauma. The ice that preserves can also imprison. If the stillness has lasted too long, it may be time to apply gentle heat — not force, but warmth.