Embracing The Dark Season With Isa And Jera

This time of year, when the air first sharpens and the trees begin to release their golden leaves, I feel a familiar stirring in my heart and soul.

Early fall has always been more than just a change of weather to me. It is a threshold, a sacred gateway that leads us from the brightness of summer into the deeper mystical wisdom of the dark season.

There’s a particular magic in this in-between time of the year…where light and shadow meet, and the veil between worlds begins to thin.

Fall is not merely an ending; it is an invitation inward. It asks us to reflect, to release, and to realign with the deeper currents that move through all things. Just as the trees surrender their leaves, we too are asked to let go of bad habits, limiting beliefs, or self-imposed burdens that no longer serve our highest path.

Our ancestors knew this well. They did not simply mark their calendars this time of year…to cover the pool or reorganize their closets, like we do. Instead, they were in deep sync with the rhythmic cycles of the year.

In the North, they honored the harvest with gratitude, they stored up sustenance for the long winter months ahead…and they carefully consulted the runes. The runes were for them living messages from the gods that spoke of fate, nature, and the mysteries of life.

As an spiritual advisor who works with the runes, I often remind my clients that these symbols are not relics of the past. They are very much alive, pulsing with energy, ready to guide us if we open ourselves to their voices.

The shadow is needed now more than ever. We heal the world when we heal ourselves, and hope shines brightest when it illuminates the dark ~ Sasha Graham

In these turning days, I find the runes come alive with a particular urgency, as if the earth itself wishes to speak. Their messages become sharper, more luminous, as though etched into the very bones of the season. The wisdom they carry feels ancient, but also startlingly relevant now.

And at this time of year, two runes sing especially clearly: Jera, the harvest rune, and Isa, the rune of stillness and ice.

The Gift Of Jera: Gathering The Harvest

Jera is a rune that speaks of cycles completed, rewards gathered, and the eternal rhythm of seed, growth, and fruition. It is shaped like two interlocking arcs, a symbol of movement and balance, a dance of time itself.

When I draw Jera in the early fall, I instantly know that it comes as a reminder: Nothing in life is wasted. The efforts, intentions, and dreams we have sown are now bearing fruit, whether in our gardens, our relationships, or our inner healing. Some harvests are joyful and abundant, others are more subtle or have a karmic edge as lessons learned or resilience gained. But Jera assures us that what was planted has grown.

For this reason, I often ask my clients at this time of year: “What are you harvesting this year?” Perhaps it is the success of a project, the strength of a friendship, or the quiet resilience you cultivated during difficult times.

Jera also reminds us to pause, notice, and give thanks. Gratitude is the key that opens the door to the abundance of this season.

The Wisdom Of Isa: Finding Strength In Stillness

Close behind the harvest comes Isa. Isa is the rune of ice, of stillness, of pause. Where Jera celebrates movement, Isa asks us to slow down. It can be an uncomfortable rune for many people, especially in our fast-moving world. To sit in stillness, to wait, to let things rest…are not easy tasks.

Yet, Isa carries a deep medicine. Just as water freezes into ice, holding form until the thaw, so too do our lives sometimes need a season of rest and containment. Isa is not the end of the story. It is the breath between chapters, the moment when clarity crystallizes.

When I meditate on Isa, I feel its cool, calm energy, reminding me that darkness is not empty. It is a womb, a cocoon, a vessel. It holds us so we may be renewed.

Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale ~ Lauren DeStefano

A Client’s Journey Through The Dark

A long-time client once shared with me her dread of the fall and winter seasons. For her, the shortening days were a source of discomfort and despair.

“The darkness feels like a wall closing in. I just don’t know how to face so much night, so much stillness. the world feels so empty, so forlorn this time of year!”

I could clearly sense her unease. It is nothing new to me, having worked for many years with so many people all over ythe world. Many people live with this kind of ennui this time of year. The dark season can feel very heavy, isolating, or even threatening when we love outdoor activity and lots of sunlight.

As always we turned to the Runes for guidance. In her reading, Isa appeared strongly.

At first she resisted. “No, it is the exact opposite. I don’t want stillness,” she said. “I want light and movemen!” But as we worked together, I encouraged her to sit with Isa, not as an enemy, but as a teacher.

We created a simple practice for her: Each evening at sunset, she would light a single candle and sit with her journal. She would draw one rune, meditate on its meaning, and then write down one thing she was grateful for that day. This became her daily ritual, a way of bringing both Jera and Isa into her life.

Over the months, something shifted. The candle became her companion and her guiding light, the darkness no longer something to fear, but a sacred cocoon. The stillness gave her space to dream, to rest, to reconnect with herself.

By the time spring arrived, she told me, she felt transformed. What once felt like emptiness had become nourishment. Isa, she said, had given her the gift of peace.

A Ritual For The Harvest Season

I want to share with you a ritual that you can practice now, in early fall, to align yourself with the wisdom of Jera and Isa. This ritual honors both the abundance of harvest and the preparation for the darker months ahead.

Prepare Your Space: Choose a quiet space where you won?t be disturbed. Place a candle, a bowl or basket, and some symbols of the harvest: apples, grains, seeds, autumn leaves, or anything that feels meaningful to you.

Light the Candle: As the sun sets, light your candle. Let it represent both the light of summer that is fading and the inner flame that will carry you through the dark season.

Offer Gratitude With Jera: Hold your harvest symbols in your hands. Whisper your thanks for what has come to fruition in your life this year. Trace the rune Jera in the air above the bowl, calling on its energy to bless the cycles of your life. Speak aloud what you are harvesting, big or small, and place your offerings in the bowl.

Embrace Stillness With Isa: Now draw Isa: in the air, in the wax of the candle, in your journal, or simply in your imagination. Ask for its blessing as you move into the dark season. Sit quietly, breathing deeply, allowing stillness to wrap around you like a comforting blanket.

Seal The Ritual: When you feel complete, close your eyes and take three deep breaths. With each breath out, release what no longer serves you. With each breath in, welcome peace, clarity, and renewal.

This ritual is not about perfection. It is about presence. Even a few minutes of mindful connection can shift how you experience the season.

Navigating The Dark Months

Fall is not a season to be rushed through or feared. It is a sacred time of transition, of honoring what has been gathered and preparing for what is to come. The runes remind us that life moves in cycles: light and dark, growth and rest, beginning and ending.

As you walk into this season, may Jera remind you of your harvest, and may Isa hold you in stillness and peace. May the dark not feel like a closing, but an opening, an invitation into the quiet wisdom that only the long nights can bring.

The ancients knew that, even in the deepest darkness, the seeds of spring were already stirring. Let us walk with that same knowing. Let us honor the dark, not as an absence, but as a presence. A teacher. A guide. A sacred part of the great turning of the year.