Fertility rituals are a type of ancient magickal practice to ensure the fertility of the soil, but also to represent in a physical or symbolic way, sexual acts and other elements of the reproductive process. The oldest rituals associated with fertility involved natural elements such as stones, water and trees.
Runes are letters of an ancient Germanic alphabet, with the most well-known and used in Magick being the 25 runes of the Elder Futhark. In this runic alphabet, there are different runes that reference fertility.
The rune of fertility most frequently used in talismans is Berkana. The word Berkana also means “birch.” The birch tree is one of the quickest growing trees, full of fertility and vitality.
You can draw it as a sigil, carve into an amulet or keep it in a visible place.
Ancient Fertility Ritual
The wooden spoon spell is one of the ancient rituals for fertility that has been passed down for generations. It is very easy to do at home.
Leave a wooden spoon under the side of the bed where your partner usually sleeps. Traditionally, one would tie a pink or blue ribbon to the spoon, depending on whether one wanted a boy or a girl. Other variations of the spell place it under the pillow instead.
Did you know that the popular image of a witch riding a broom is based on an ancient fertility ritual? People would go to the fields with brooms and pitchforks, jumping high in the air to encourage the crops to grow tall and straight.
Berkana, Rune of Fertility – ᛒ
When we think of fertility, we think of the ability to create life. While this is an important aspect of the word, fertility can other interpretations. This word can also be associated with abundance, finances, health, well-being, and the birth or cultivation of many other aspects of your life.
If you see Berkana in your life, it is bringing a sense of rebirth or renewal within you. For example, if you have been ruminating around a relationship or love interest, Berkana is pointing to a relationship that will be very rewarding. The universe is flooding this area of your life with revitalizing energy, and you will feel a sense of newness within it.
ᛒ Print out this page and add it to your Book of Shadows.
The rune’s symbol is two triangles. These triangles have many interpretations, as they symbolize the number 3, a number of fertility. The meaning of number “3” and triplicities has to do with the cycles of life. Berkana is a wonderful rune to help protect and empower you through new beginnings or transitions in your life.
The Spiritual Meaning of Berkana
Berkana may also indicate a process of awakening starting to happen. This awakening may be associated with the rebirth of a new version of your old self. Many versions of ourselves exist within our being, much like our inner child, and these aspects of ourselves are extensions of us.
As we grow older or go through certain life lessons, sometimes these hidden aspects of ourselves make themselves known again to integrate with our current sense of self. You may be on the brink of a spiritual awakening, finally allowing the spiritual energy within you to come to life.
Fertility Correspondences of Berkana
Berkana: Motherhood, healing, fertility, Mother Earth, wisdom, strength, life changes, new beginnings.
Intentions: Helps conceal secrets, Protects from outside influence, Ignites passion and strengthens creativity, Revitalizes the mind, body, and soul.
Best day for Fertility rituals: Tuesday.
Energy: Feminine, female fertility, protection/concealer.
Divinations: Freedom, secrecy, concealment, conspiracy, insecurity, birth.
Goddesses of Fertility: Eostre, Persephone, Brigid, Venus, Cerridwen, Yemaya, Isis, Ix Chel, Fortuna, The Triple Goddess.
These new beginnings may include pregnancy, childbirth, starting a new job or creative project, or the beginning stages of a new relationship.
These are all instances of the beginning of new energy within your life, a time when something completely new is being made from what already is. The energy of Berkana brings powerful protection, much like a placenta or womb. Working with this energy can help bring a sense of protection to your life, especially by wearing its symbol on a necklace or keeping a picture of this rune stone around your home.
More about Berkana – 18th Rune of the Elder Futhark & 2nd of Tyr’s Aett
Awakening the Phoenix
The Berkana rune is a soft, powerful, sacred symbol that reminds us of our abilities to reinvent ourselves. Berkana is a phoenix, reborn from its old self’s ashes. It reminds you of the ever-changing, everlasting seasons of life that transform within and without us. This rune appears when you’re on the verge of the birth of something magnificent.
