Borage’s blue flowers have long accompanied the joy one seeks to restore to the heart. A Latin motto makes it speak: Ego borago gaudia semper ago, “I, Borage, always bring joy.” Old herbals place it among the cordial plants, and astrologers assign it to Jupiter.
Its magical register is rooted in the banquet, courage, and the lifting of one’s spirits. Flowers were added to wine in premodern Europe to drive away sadness. Pliny attributed to it the name Euphrosynum, formed around the idea of joy. The plant therefore speaks less of boundless euphoria than of a return to company and speech after dejection.
These historical uses do not justify a present-day ritual drink. Borage may contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids that are toxic to the liver. Its place in the grimoire will be external: depicted flower, blue star, written motto, and a Jovian gesture of hospitality.
The blue star and the rough stem
Common Borage, Borago officinalis L., belongs to the Boraginaceae family. Its stem and broad leaves are covered with stiff hairs. The five-petaled flowers form blue stars tilted toward the ground, around a dark cone of stamens.
Kew lists it as native to the western and central Mediterranean. It has been cultivated and naturalized in many regions. The database indicates culinary and medicinal uses, as well as use as a poison: these historical categories do not constitute a safety assessment for a plant sold for ritual purposes. Kew, Borago officinalis.
The star-shaped flower and rough texture give Borage two faces. It presents a clear blue to the eye, yet offers a defensive surface to the touch. This combination suits its former domain: lifting the heart without erasing the ordeal endured.
The plant that brings joy
Richard Folkard places Borage among four “cordial flowers,” alongside Rose, Violet, and Bugloss. In premodern medicine, these plants were associated with the heart and the ability to restore one’s spirits. Borage bore a motto that made it speak in the first person: Ego borago gaudia semper ago.
Pliny is said to have given it the name Euphrosynum, associated with joy. The leaves and flowers were added to wine to ward off sadness and melancholy. Richard Folkard, Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics, “Borage”. The cup brought together the plant, the Latin words, and conviviality in a single gesture.
The magic of Borage lies in this return to the shared world. It accompanies the moment when a person takes their place at the table again, finds their voice, and agrees to share what weighs on them. Its courage is relational: it is born of connection and hospitality.
The cordial of Jupiter
The astrologers cited by Folkard make Borage a cordial of Jupiter. The planet governs expansion, generosity, social dignity, the banquet, and confidence in the future. The blue flower enters this domain through its joyful reputation and the old custom of sharing a cup.
Culpeper also associates Borage with Jupiter in his medical system. His account belongs to the humoral physiology of his century, but the planetary attribution remains clear. The plant is thus suited to Thursday, welcoming a guest, resuming a collective project, and words of support spoken before witnesses. Nicholas Culpeper, The Complete Herbal, “Borrage and Bugloss”.
The courage to take one’s place at the table again. Borage does not promise to erase sorrow. It marks the movement through which the heart regains enough space to speak, receive, and act.
The cup, the motto, and the spoken word
In a historical practice, the wine carried the plant’s cordial virtue. Today, the cup may remain empty or contain a drink without the plant. Borage is represented beside it as an illustration, an artificial flower, or a photograph. This separation preserves the symbol while removing the risk of ingestion.
The Latin motto may be written beneath the cup and then translated aloud. The magical significance lies in embodying the phrase: the plant speaks and announces the joy it brings. Writing one’s own motto afterward transforms the reader into a participant in the rite.
The flower’s blue color can also serve as a sign of recognition during a period of emotional recovery. A blue ribbon worn around the wrist or tied around a notebook recalls the commitment made: to ask for help, respond to an invitation, or return to an interrupted work.
Reopening the table with Borage
On a Thursday, place an image of Borage at the center of a table and light a candle away from the paper. Name three forms of support already present in your life, then one role you are ready to take up again. Then share an ordinary meal, without adding ritual plant material to the food.
To support a collective project, write the motto Ego borago gaudia semper ago on the first page of the shared notebook. Each participant adds a sentence about what they can offer the group. The gesture gives Jupiter a concrete form: generosity, structure, and shared confidence.
An enclosed dried flower in a locket can accompany a difficult speech. It removes neither fear nor sadness; it reminds you of the decision to remain present and address others. After the ordeal, the locket returns beside the empty cup or notebook.
Historical correspondences
| Reference | Correspondence |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Borago officinalis L. |
| Motto | Ego borago gaudia semper ago — Borage brings joy |
| Planet | Jupiter, in Culpeper and the astrologers cited by Folkard |
| Contexts | Heartening plants, banquet, shared cup, words of support |
| Magical domains | Courage, return to companionship, hospitality, confidence, generosity |
| Safe ritual forms | Image, motto, blue ribbon, enclosed flower; no beverage made from ritual material |
