Short Term Long Term

I have a lot of balls in the air right now, which is a good thing, but deciding which ones to catch and which ones to let fall is a tricky undertaking.  Honestly, I don't want any of them to drop, but I realize I can't do everything.  My response?  Organize.  Prioritize.  Plan.  When I jump into this response mode, one of the most pressing challenges is weighing short term and long term investments and outcomes.  Knowing full well what one of the Runes I would draw was going to be, I pulled three and, sure enough, the overview of this situation is Jera.

Jera is my favorite Rune and the Rune of the Harvest, of process.  How could the overview of a situation where I am trying to prioritize things be anything other than realizing, once again, that everything has a process through which it must travel to fruition?  Jera acknowledges the balls in the air and tells me that, if I want to organize, prioritize and plan, I have to look at the required life cycle for each "ball" I have in the air.  Somethings take longer than others; somethings will make more money;  other things will be gratifying in other ways.  So, "Yes," says Jera, "you must keep most of those balls in the air, but you will be successful at deciding which ones only when you consider all of the aspects of each ball."

What are the challenges I face when attempting to keep the right balls in the air for the right amount of time?  Perth (or Perthro) is my challenge.  This is an interesting Rune.  The New Age interpretation of this revolves around initiation, which is accurate in broad terms.  More traditional interpretations relate it to games of chance and skill, friendly competition.  In a way, it's a coming of age issue.  Sorting out which of my balls to keep in the air becomes a game of chance and skill.  I will run into obstacles, but this process is important for two reasons.  First, these balls are major balls and will play an important role in determining my fate.  Second, I must live in this moment while I plan for future ones and remember that I am not alone in this.  Friends, old and new, will be important to cultivate.  They will help me through this phase.

To organize and prioritize my balls and plan how to keep them in the air (a.k.a., accomplish everything) effectively, I must take action.  According to the Runes, that action lies in Ansuz, the Rune of Communication and Signals.  I need to pay attention with all of my senses (sixth sense included), which will allow me to make unconscious perception conscious perception.  If I pay attention with all of my senses as I interpret the world around me, I will find the right answer.  Some short term things will serve as bridges to long term things.  Others will simply be islands that keep me from drowning until I can lay the foundation to make those long term dreams come true.