Iorija

IORIJA

Iorija (YAUR - ee - ah or; YAUR - ei - ah) - Also known as Eoh, Ior, Ihwaz, Ihwo, Ihwar, Yew

Value - Yo / Yau (in Vilturj) and Ei ('height'), generally uncertain, highly variable perhaps indicating the existence of different, individual runes.

Numeric Order - 13

Traditionally Represents - Yew. Death. Strength.

Represents - Yew. Strength. Endurance. Reliability. Stability. Protection. Defense. Acquisition. Determination. Purpose. Reasonable Targets. Honesty. Fox. Bear. Coyote. Initiation. Fire. Masculinity. The Spear. The Bow. Weapons. Ull. Immortality. Permanence. Roots. Underworld. Passion. True Love. Fortitude. Death. Wolf. Wolf's Hook.

Iorija, the great burnt tree
over many skies, under many oceans
The fire in the leaf
and the weakest finger.

- Vilturj Rune Poem.

Iorija in Vilturj was the 'strength in the weakest finger.' It was a way of finding a light in the darkness by using strength and resourcefulness. An analogy is made that Iorija is like the winter tree that is used by a man to make a bow. Without the foresight and confidence to assess the resources around us, we may starve physically, emotionally and spiritually in the desolate times of our lives. But Iorija reminds us that sometimes it is our choices that make us starve. A winter tree might just be a reminder of barrenness to some, but to others it is a resource and an asset.

Historically, Iorija was masculine and feminine depending on the culture which was using it. I personally feel that this rune is masculine, but it is up to you to determine which gender works best for you; if you gender your runes. Iorija can also represent a person coming into your life with the qualities of this rune. It tends to be a person with great strength and loyalty, but who may lack imagination and may also be overly stubborn. It can also represent the querent, particularly if falling into the inner circle on the Vilturj rune-mat.

It is sometimes seen as a rune of justice. It represents the natural order of things, and a natural justice that is sometimes difficult for humans to comprehend. It is not the sword of Teiwaurz, and it is not the justice meted out by humans. It can in some worldviews represent karmic justice, that which is out of our hands.

Sometimes Iorija comes into our lives to ask us what kind of legacy we're leaving for the world around us. Everything we put into this world, if we back it with strength and endurance, has the potential to last over generations, for thousands of years. Iorija asks us to examine whether we are proud of what we have put into this world, whether we would want our essence to last in others and in the world for thousands of years. Are we petty, selfish, ethically unstable and cruel? Are we maybe overly proud of our legacy? Are we ever humble? It is not only our children and our children's children that are affected by our actions, but everyone in the web around us. Iorija is a rune of indescribable potential and power, in a reading it suggests that we are now coming into a time where the power to change our whole lives using inner strength and resourcefulness is available.

The yew tree is of particular symbolic importance when we talk of Iorija. This lends much symbolism to this rune. Yew is a poison and also a strength. It can weaken us to the point of death if we consume it unthinkingly, yet it can also be used to make weapons. The yew was the most popular tree for bow-making because it was flexible and strong. It could be bent without breaking. It has been very popular in the making of runic talismans, and also rune sets. It has also been made into rune wands.

Iorija tends to symbolise the roots that stretch down and ground us in our lives. If we were to imagine ourselves as a tree, what would our roots look like? Do they tap adequate amounts of sustenance and water? Do they go deep enough? Do they spread wide enough to support what we present externally? And importantly, do we need to dig out the dead and diseased roots that might threaten the whole foundation itself? Iorija can additionally represent journeys to the underworld for positive self-empowerment and re-building. It is an excellent rune for soul-retrieval, and the banishing of unwanted spirits in the body. It is our roots which make us stable after all, what is our relationship to them?

Iorija is a wonderful rune of passion and emotion, and how these can be incredible strengths when we are defending ourselves and making our foundations stable. It is with the strength of our convictions that we make ourselves a life we can be proud of, filled with power and gentleness, love and determination, honour and humility. Iorija therefore is also the rune of true emotions, true love, true anger, true grief. That which is not hindered by deception or melodrama, but that which lurks beneath the surface. In a reading, depending on the runes around it, it symbolises the addition of real, persevering love in someone's life. With Berkana it can indicate the true bond between a mother and/or father and child.

Iorija is the rune of fire. Not the fire of creativity like Kenaz, or the flame of justice like Teiwaurz, but the solemn burning of ritual fires at all times of year. It can represent the flames on a funeral pyre, and the bonfire at fertility rituals. Its presence in our life often asks us to remember our connection to ritual and religion/spirituality. It is thought that if you don't listen to the lessons of Iorija, the spirit of the Yew will come and absorb your urt and hold it prisoner until you have died, or until you decide to make a difference in your life. This is why shamanising with this rune can be so successful.

There is a more unpleasant aspect to Iorija depending on your perspective, as this rune represents death - physically, spiritually and emotionally. It can be something as practical as cutting away the dead wood in our lives, or it can be the passing on of friends and family. Also watch out for messages that are being transmitted from the dead to the querent, reinforcing the strength and endurance aspect of the rune as our ancestors and those who have passed on live on within us. Despite its definite connection with death, it also teaches us that death is not something to be feared to a point where we never grow and embrace our lives. We must - as the rather clichéd adage goes - 'feel the fear and do it anyway.'

Iorija can also herald new contact from old friends and enemies, a recurrence of old problems until they are resolved (including health and emotional problems), and a false nostalgia and melodrama for the past. Iorija in its positive aspects tells us to make a great foundation, but it can also indicate people whose foundations are based in melodrama, regret and living in the past and neglecting the present. These people are in great need of a healing, and analyse surrounding runes to determine how appropriate an immediate healing or retrieval may be.

Merk - Iorija reversed can symbolise opposing negative traits of dissatisfaction and the opposite of stability. It can lead to destruction of foundations (sometimes literally, when coupled with runes like a Merked Haurgl) or of financial securities (Merked Fehu). It can also represent a confusion in everyday life which leads to a lack of determination and decision-making skills which leaves the querent or aspects of the querent's life vulnerable.

Merked Iorija can also represent a liar, or someone who is being deliberately deceptive. In some instances it can represent the querent themselves, who may be deceiving themselves and others. This can betray a weakness of character and can be an asset in a reading that prompts the querent to actually change their own lives, rather than looking constantly without for the answers to their problems.

Iorija merked can represent a lack of true emotions, a harmful need to live in the past, and phobias which completely destabilise one's life and unable someone from living at all. It can also represent situations where the querent themselves ends positive situations, and causes themselves to constantly live in situations which are negative or poorly nourishing. It can represent people who simply refuse to grow, and clients who become dependent on the reassurance of others. It can represent codependence in relationships of all kinds, and is particularly dangerous when coupled with a merked Berkana where it can represent highly damaging relationships between parents and children ranging from disorders like Munchausen's-by-proxy or child abuse and neglect, or parental abuse by the child.

In Ritual - In ritual, this rune is excellent for many magical aspects. It is essentially symbolic of the 'dark night of the soul' process. It is good for easing transitions from one stage in life for another, and is great for initiations which can represent the death of the old and the rebirth of a new and stronger self. It is excellent for facilitating self-help, self-improvement, self-love and inner truth. It can also help us examine our inner-selves and re-empower ourselves, or start the way to this journey. It is particularly good for those who are obsessed with the past, or who fear death too much to enjoy the present.

This rune benefits shamans and healers who specialise in the more difficult aspects of soul retrieval, including journeys to the underworld which can lead to confrontation with demons, and spirits which wish nothing but harm on the psychopomp. This rune allows us to find our inner strength and be a great and ancient yew tree, evergreen and unable to be pushed over. It also teaches us to find resources when we feel there are none. We are the person who makes the winter tree into a bow, if we choose to acknowledge this power within ourselves.

This rune is good for people who are unstable mentally and physically, or who have problems making decisions and committing to anything. It lends a firm foundation to decision-making and can be relied upon in a time of need. It can also help you to be a reliable person in times of need, if you worry that your personal strength may fail. It's also especially good for dreamers and those of flighty thoughts who might need more sensibility and thoughtfulness. This is a fantastic rune that protects against self-destructive behaviour, and is especially good for those who are transitioning through adolescence.

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