Berkano, Björk, Beorc: Birch, birch, birch; birch is the word
Berkano, Björk, Beorc
ᛒ
Birth of new venture,
From rich soil, and daring minds
Those called move onward
Pronunciation: Berkano: BER-kahn-O, Björk: bee-york, Beorc: bee-yore
Literal Translation: Birch Tree
Sound: B, P
Magical Correspondences: fertility, re birth, new venture, spring, abundance, femme energy, Birch, invoking Jord, energy and healing, nurturing
Divination Meaning Upright: Berkano, Björk, and Beorc when cast in a reading signify a powerful surge of activity within us; a passionate drive to forge new paths, whether in our careers, relationships or other aspects of our life. This is a time when we can truly feel alive, motivated, and eager to grow. But beyond the excitement lies a deeper purpose: to nourish ourselves both physically and mentally, especially our spirit. It’s a moment to pause and truly reflect on our journey, to clarify our goals and pursue what matters most to us. These pursuits could take shape as inner peace, increased generosity, new projects, or even finding some semblance of harmony around or within us.
These Runes are reminiscent of spring and abundance, and all the fertile nurturing energy that comes with it. They are reminders of and encouragement to perform self care, and of the empowerment to make new and exciting things spring forward from hibernation.
Divination Meaning Reversed: These Runes, when pulled or cast in reverse, remind us to practice discernment, to examine how we think and act in the moments that test us. Blaming others for your failures only keeps you trapped in a cycle of frustration and despair. True growth begins when you muster the courage to face your mistakes head-on, to learn from them, and to embrace the challenging process of change. The key to this is in truly knowing yourself and understanding others and striving to act with integrity and consistency. Reach for those moments and choices that will fill you with genuine satisfaction and purpose.
Delving into the Runes: Berkano, Björk, and Beorc all translate to the birch tree, and carry meanings of growth, family, and maturity. Being runes that are often associated with matronly energy and fertility, they are said to announce a birth or a marriage; however, they can also be indicative of a new way of thinking, the start of a business, or the merger of two different mentalities aimed at achieving a common goal. This life-giving force especially advises the spiritual seeker not to exclude sexuality from their existence, as the path to enlightenment does not necessarily pass through asceticism. They are Runes of purification, renewal, sexuality, death, birth, and rebirth. Their extraction puts one in contact with the reproductive mysteries, with the ability to welcome and give life, and to nourish and protect.
We are making peace with ourselves by recomposing the fragments of ourselves, preparing for a new spring, and the desire to leave the cold of winter behind us is very strong. Something new is transforming within us: a project, an idea, a desire, a dream. Berkano, Björk, and Beorc reconnect our being with the very center of the Earth, with Jord, and a sense of completion and self-realization. These Runes evoke a sense of humility, magic, mystery, and initiation. They are part of the spectrum of divine principles, of birth and growth, linked to the elements of earth and water in addition to the lunar energy that affects sowing, tides, and the menstrual cycle. They are in a sense the Anima Mundi, what is at the base of life, an intelligent principle from which everything is born: plants, minerals, animals, and everything else is its emanation, something from which we originate and to which we must then return at the end of a cycle. The shape of the Rune recalls the profile of a pregnant being, about to give birth, with the breast full of milk and the belly bearing life.
The birch was, and still is, a tree much appreciated in the countries of the north; and from my experience in crafting I have found that the wood is one of the most suitable for processing, the resistant bark tiles were obtained for huts, and small boats were built with the planking. In times of famine, flour from the rind was added to bread dough due to the presence of salts, sugars, and aromatic substances. The leaves were used in herbal medicine to regulate the metabolism and the activity of the exchange system; they move what is old out of the body, and they are antidiuretic and antirheumatic. They are a cure-all in the sense of teaching us to activate our renewal within.
These Runes are also associated with those related to the earth and spring. Among these, we find the Nordic goddess Iðunn. Iðunn is the goddess of spring from Norse mythology. She belongs to the lineage of the Æsir, and is the wife of Bragi the god of poetry. Another we see is Jord, the Norse equivalent of mother earth and birther of Thor.