Berkano

Elder Futhark: Berkano, Anglo-Saxon Futhorc: Beorc, Younger Futhark: Bjarkan, Armanen Futhorc: Bar

The Rune Berkano is one of the “fertility” Runes (there are others) that deals with the energy of birth and death.  This Rune represents that sacred enclosure in which the hidden life comes forth into manifestation, or the life which has been led moves from the revealed world to the hidden realms.  Birth and death are both energetic transitions from one state to another.

It is important at this stage in our development of Rune meanings/uses to pause and understand the significance of this kind of energy.  The life of a person as an individual, or a collective soul of a people that has a kind of “consciousness” of its own as a group, is greatly influenced by this energy.  The decisions and actions of a person or group (creating orlog) are like a sexual act resulting in ‘conception”.  The results of orlog are not always evident immediately, but “gestate” over time to finally bring forth a result that is experienced in the life of the individual or group.  Berkano as such an energy holds trust with the Norns, as does Nauthiz and to some extent Jera (or yera).  It also holds congress with the energies of both the goddess Freyja and Frigg, as they are goddesses of passion, procreation and in the specific case of Frigg, “motherhood”.  There is also another goddess that holds connection to this Rune, and this is not discussed anywhere that I am aware of:  the goddess Hel.  Since the transition of Berkano refers to BOTH birth and death, on the side of death Hel is one to deal with, as she is the goddess of the realm called after her name “Hel”, which is NOT referring to a place of eternal punishment, by the way, but the realm of the dead aka: “the underworld”.

I mention these points, because the runic energies are NOT simply symbols drawn or carved on a surface and invoked!  The Runic energies ARE the vibrational “frequencies” of EVERYTHING in the multiverse.  The elementary powers, the specific runic energies, the endless combinations of the runic energies, ARE everything.  Hagal, in its “Mother Rune” form is like the icy crystal through which the undifferentiated energy of the original source is split apart into the various individuated vibrations that make up the multiverse.  The individuated energies are the individual Runes.  All Runes come forth from the “Mother Rune”.

Berkano is the energy of transition.  Ingwaz (another fertility Rune) may deal with virility and sexuality more directly, but Berkano is the energy that takes that, and makes it into something.  It is also the energy at the end of one’s incarnated life that causes the transition to “the other side” to coin a phrase.  There are Runes that are used in aggressive magick to CAUSE death, but the energy that is the gateway FOR THE ONE who dies, is Berkano.  The same is said for the child being born INTO the world, and for the collective soul of a people that either wakes up to BE, or passes into the darkness of memory.

In divination Berkano can signify positively the birth of a child, (actual or coming soon!), the gestation and soon transition of plans or ideas into manifested reality, or the atmosphere being provided where such things can effectively occur.

Negatively, this Rune can signify (especially if in conjunction with Othila) the coming death of a loved one.  It can also if ill dignified refer to plans being circumvented, or not well thought out enough to bring success.

Magickally, Berkano can be used to bring silence or secrecy to one’s plans/actions.  It can be used in conjunction with Ingwaz to inspire the conception of a child (literally) and in the sense of the collective soul of a people, to gestate the awakening of the group consciousness!

Negatively, Berkano if used in its Younger Futhark relationship with Yrr can be truly unpleasant indeed, and very dishonourable for the practitioner if not used for justified reasons in the eyes of the gods!  It can be used in reverse form to expose hidden secrets, and cause “sterility” in both physical and spiritual essences.

I trust you can see how this Rune can be positively used in the focus to awaken the collective soul of our folk.  If used with Tyr (Tiwaz) and Oss (Ansuz) it can become a powerful energetic resonance to wake up our people to higher truth and consciousness.  I am including a glyph of this combination on this post, and if YOUR desire is to see this awakening truly occur, post it on your website or your page Facebook or anything else, where it can be seen.  When you look at it yourself, feel the longing you have for the awakening of our people.  This is the reason for this site, the Asatru & Ancient Runes sessions, the building of our fledgling Hearth (Har’s Hall) in Edmonton.  Our people need to remember who they really are, before WE fade into the darkness of memory.

This glyph combines Tiwaz, Berkano, and Ansuz.

The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem:

The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers,

For it is generated from its leaves.

Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned

Its lofty crown which reaches to the skies.

The Norwegian Rune Poem:

Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub,

Loki was fortunate in his deceit.

The Icelandic Rune Poem:

Birch twig is a kafy limb,

And a little tree,

And a youthful wood.

Until next time….