Removing Obstacles
“Birch — a branch covered in leaves,
a small tree,
and young shoots“.
Activity’s striving to manifest in Plasticity, to expand, is expressed at the Third Atta level by an irresistible force — irresistible because it is paired with care and tenderness.
This nourishing energy embodies motherhood, compassion, care, and the source of new life.
Rune Berkana (Birch, sometimes Bjarka) embodies the energy of stability, rooted in profound security.
The mythological correspondence of this Rune is the Frigg, Mother of the gods, called ‘Mother’ not merely by kinship as Odin is ‘Father’ by station, not birth.
For Frigg — the Guardian of the cosmos — nothing in the manifested world is insurmountable: she commands all creation be safe for Baldur — and the world grants her that promise; she bids creation to mourn her son’s death (which resulted, in part, from her oversight), and creation bows in grief.
At the same time, her power does not reach the Otherworld — Hel does not heed the goddess’s plea.
Another correspondence of Berkana is the Mother Jord — the luminous face of the Earth, effectively another aspect of Frigg. In her Frigg aspect the goddess bears Baldur — the fair god of light; in her Jord aspect she bears Thor — the god of strength and protection. In the Jord aspect Berkana also expresses the forces of nature in their maternal sense — nourishing and protective powers.
Naturally, the symbolic field of Berkana includes the principle of motherhood, along with it the powers of fertility and beauty, the principles of birth and rebirth.
The maternal forces of Berkana also express the principle of family, kinship, and close relationships.
Magical applications of Berkana primarily included aid in childbirth, healing, new beginnings, growth, protection, and purification.
Sigrdrifa probably assigns Berkana to the “Runes of the Surf,” emphasizing its protective, guarding action, and Mimir’s Head testifies that this Rune adorned the “midwife’s palm,” drawing attention to its maternal aspect.
Graphically, Berkana corresponds to Perthr (as we noted earlier about this aspect of the Runes of Lón), and can also be regarded as the sum of upright and inverted Ansuz (this corresponds to the twofoldness of the goddess).
At the same time, misuse of Berkana can spawn monsters, beginning by protecting even what hinders life, and it can turn the Mother into death’s source. Berkana corresponds to Angrboda, monster-mother — the dark face of the earth, who birthed Hel, Fenrir, and Jörmungandr, who are fated to destroy the cosmos.
Enmerkar, allow me to thank you.
I now understand (at least somewhat) why I am like this, who is my patron.
And it is also important that your site helps those who are trying to consciously follow the Path of Runes. Not all schools reveal the fullness of the Path. Which is somewhat disappointing. It is right that they provided training, ‘set’ on the Path. One must go alone. But a magician differs from an ordinary student, he must do everything consciously. Otherwise, what kind of magician is he?
I have already seen this for the second time: paddle, whether it is necessary to paddle or not, everything depends on you. This is correct. But I want to understand what is happening. Although, I found your site. Now I understand. Perhaps everything is right. That is why I found your site, to enrich my vision.
Thank you.
Enmerkar, do you know how to make sure scenarios stop repeating?