Spiraling Soulward with the Mystics
Hildegard von Bingen
Hildegard von Bingen was a Rhineland mystic. Born in 1098 at Bermersheim, near the German city of Mainz. As the tenth child of parents who belonged to the noble class, Mechtilde and Hildeber dedicated her to the church. At the age of eight, Hildegard entered the enclosure at the monastery of Disibodenberg where the anchoress Jutta oversaw her education. From the age of three, Hildegard saw visions. Jutta was the first person with whom she shared her visions. In her visions she saw people as living sparks of God’s love. Hildegard saw harmony in creation. Her cosmological understanding and our place in creation, informed her theology, writing, and musical compositions. Her first book of visions, Scivias (Know the Ways), took ten years to record. Hildegard was a prolific writer, composer, herbalist, preacher and theologian. Her advice and prayers were sought by many, including popes, emperors, abbots, abbesses, theologians, and those interested in the spiritual life. Hildegard died at the age of eighty-one, after contributing to a great many fields of inquiry.
Hildegard had a deep love and respect for nature. She saw our place in creation, and humanity living in harmony with God, each other and creation. She gathered herbs, studied their properties, and created remedies. In addition to all of her other accomplishments, Hildegard was an herbalist and a healer.
This week’s supportive practice is an invitation to Forest Bathing. Forest Bathing, known as Shinrin-yoku, has its roots in Japan and Asia where forest bathing is prescribed to provide relaxation and reduce stress. With the proliferation of technology, especially during the pandemic, spending time in nature has taken on a greater urgency.
The benefits of forest bathing are similar to yoga nidra - it relieves stress, engages the senses, improves mood, increases immunity and enhances your overall sense of well being. Forest bathing cultivates an awareness of the senses. To prepare for forest bathing, find a place to spend time in nature. If you’re in an urban area, parks work well for forest bathing. Once you’re there, pay attention to the environment. Create a sense of awareness by focusing on an object in nature. Engage all of your senses. What do you feel, see, hear, smell, taste?
Week One - you are invited to:
Listen to the yoga nidra.
Listen to music composed by Hildegard.
Practice forest bathing.
Journal about your experience. Choose one or several journal prompts.
Do you see the viriditas, the greening of creation?
What is your place in creation?
Do you experience yourself as a living spark of God’s love?
How is the fullness of your Divine self as a living spark manifest in your life, work and relationships?
What limits you from experiencing the fullness of God’s love?
What’s it like in body, mind, and heart when you feel the fullness of God’s love?
What limits you from being fully present as your Divine self?
What’s it like in body, mind, and heart when you live your life fully present as your Divine self?
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“I have kindled all the sparks of the living…I have properly ordained the cosmos, flying about the circling circle with my upper wings, that is with wisdom. I am the fiery life of divine substance, I blaze above the beauty of the fields, I shine in the waters, I burn in sun, moon, and stars. And I awaken all to life with every wind of the air, as with invisible life that sustains everything. For the air lives in greenness and fecundity. The waters flow as though they are alive. The sun also lives in its own light, and when the moon has waned it is rekindled by the light of the sun and thus lives again; and the stars shine out in their own light as though they are alive.”
- Hildegard of Bingen