St. Hildegard...Anyone know about this new movement? I saw a movie on Netflix and did a Google.
(Apparently Pope Benedict just made her a Saint, but she's an interesting story)
Hildegard von Bingen
Tree of LifeIn an age illuminated by the flickering of candlelight, the visions of a cloistered seer called Hildegard blazed a burning radiance that, for a short while, pushed back the shadows of a despairing existence. An anchoress, living in the forested hills of the Rhineland, Hildegard was a woman of great significance among her contemporaries, many centuries ahead of her time in creativity and intellectual accomplishment… a Renaissance woman three hundred years before the invention of that concept.
It is difficult to overstate her importance and the impact of the countless contributions that she made during a time when most learned men (let alone a woman) were overrun by the feverish passion for war consuming Europe in the name of “Holy” Crusade. Yet she was not easily dissuaded from her pursuits. Her commitment was anchored in her conviction that she served as a mouthpiece for God and her dedication to publishing her visions demonstrated that she was not afraid to make more than a few enemies as she preached the message of church reform that lay at the heart of her spiritual insights.
Yet, Hildegard was much more than a clerical reformer. In fact, she is today celebrated as much for her contributions to music, art, poetry, literature, herbology, and medicine as she is known for her theology – perhaps, even more so. Confidant of kings, popes, nobles, and powerful churchmen, she stood unafraid of opposition, defiant of the customarily limited roles for women of her time. But, despite these many struggles just to project her voice to be heard beyond the walls of contention, she rejoiced in the wonder of creation’s song and ever celebrated the fiery greening resonant in the mystical tones of God’s own love song to humanity and the creatures with which we share the Earth.
St. Hildegard’s Community continues in our own age and part of the world the work begun by Hildegard von Bingen nearly one thousand years ago in the Rhine Valley. Like our namesake, we have committed ourselves to echoing the harmony of creation in the work and play of our daily lives. We celebrate the beauty of creation. We honor the ancient traditions and sacred scriptures along with new visions for spiritual awakening and work to find ways to apply them to our modern lives. In each other, we embrace the boldness and sensitivity and whimsy of Hildegard and raise our voices together in echoing her songs of vision and illumination.
WEBSITE:
http://www.hildegard-austin.org/seek/hildegard-von-bingen.html
