Blocks | Impediments | Standstill
Old English rune poem
Ice be overcold, immeasurably slippery;
glisteneth clear as glass, to gems blest;
a floor by frost wrought, fair to be seen
Old Norse
Ice we call the broad bridge;
The blind man must be led.
Old Icelandic
Ice is the bark of rivers
and roof of the wave
and destruction for doomed men.
Havamal, verse 81
At evening praise the day, a torch when burned.
A sword when rested, a maiden when married
Ice when you’ve crossed it, ale when it’s drunk.
Here the Havamal is talking about things that are at their best once conquered, consumed, or otherwise dealt with. The danger is implied.
Verse 153
A ninth I know: when need befalls me
to save my vessel afloat
I just the wind of the stormy wave,
and soothe all the sea to rest.
This comes from a portion of the Havamal called the Runatal in which Odin gives tutelage on certain runes.
This rune contains within it the slow and grinding force of a glacier. Isa is frozen water. When faced with an obstacle, the water pressure will apply until the obstacle gives way. Water wears down solid objects and seeps into the tiniest of spaces, expanding until it breaks through whatever is in front of it. Isa brings things to a standstill. It brings with it the knowledge that the only thing you truly control is yourself or your reaction.
When this rune shows itself to you, caution and prudence are needed. Now is the time to pull back. Don’t react, respond, spend, or commit at this time – depending on the question asked, of course. When this rune comes up for me and I am considering something such as a large expenditure, my next move, or there is a situation brewing – I give myself a 24-hour stay on decision-making. 99% of the time I am rewarded with new information or things develop in way that is beneficial.
Isa’s presence can also be a command from the universe to regroup or reassess. Act in haste, repent at leisure goes the old saying. This is a time to check over that business plan, read that contract once more, slowly, or even subtract a task or two from the honey-do list. If Isa shows herself before you’re about to do something impulsive, like DIY your own plumbing, take that as your sign to put down the tools, back away slowly, and call in a professional.
Sometimes Isa can signify that a new set of priorities is needed. Indeed, if you keep meeting up with stumbling blocks on the road to greatness, perhaps consider that you need to travel on a new road. People and situations can drift slowly away from us when there is no focus or the relationship/situation needs to shift. Consider Isa to be your distant early warning signal that things are starting to float away in matters of interpersonal dealings.
Use Isa to block or freeze events, to slow them down. The stasis Isa provides can allow you to get your ducks in order. Just bear in mind that glaciers don’t actually stop moving, they just appear to be still. Movement still occurs, albeit very, very slowly. Isa will not freeze things forever so applying the Isa rune to a situation will not stop it completely. At some point it will bounce right back and continue. Apply Isa where you feel backed into a corner and need breathing space and time to consider your next move.
Isa can also be used to shield. In scifi-fantasy novels and television shows, how many castles, evil lairs, and prisons were protected by ice? Isa can make a thick, impenetrable fortress around someone, rendering them invisible to other magick. It can also be used to render someone else’s magick impotent. It is the only rune that I know of that can completely nullify and take down Thurisaz when it needs to be reined in.