Borage

Description

The herb of courage. Romans drank borage wine before battle.

Borage (Borago officinalis), under Jupiter's rulership and the Air element, is the herb of fearless joy: its Celtic motto, preserved in Latin from the ancient world, states it plainly: 'Ego borago gaudia semper ago' (I, borage, always bring joy). This cheerful self-description is borne out in centuries of consistent magical and medicinal use. Roman legionaries drank wine infused with borage before battle to summon courage from the depth of their bellies; Celtic warriors consumed it before raids. The brilliant blue star-shaped flowers, among the most electrically vivid in the plant kingdom, visually embody borage's magical action: it is the herb that makes fear and hesitation suddenly appear absurd. In psychic and divinatory practice, borage's correspondence with second sight and clairvoyance is less widely known but deeply documented: burned or carried before visionary work, it is said to sharpen the inner eye and steady the emotions of the practitioner who might otherwise be overwhelmed by what they see. As a traveler's herb, borage flowers were traditionally carried to maintain courage and protection on the road. Its Jupiter rulership expands this protective quality into the realm of optimism and social fortitude: borage supports the practitioner in maintaining their sense of joy and capability even under sustained pressure. Borage courage and clairvoyance ritual work is as accessible as its edible flowers are beautiful.