Book Description
Hildegard of Bingen was perhaps the original "rebel nun"--a woman of stunning visionary gifts who rose above the restrictions of her time to shape the destiny of Christianity. In Hildegard of Bingen, readers encounter this remarkable woman, who dared to speak out with such strength and purpose that even the 12th-century Church had to respect her divinely inspired wisdom. Through her writings, her musical and lyrical compositions, and her compassionate bravery, Hildegard invites us today to a place of stillness where we can clearly hear the inner wisdom that is our birthright. Hildegard's life gives us a blueprint for spiritual practice in action. From her many innovative writings on the spiritual journey, women's health, and herbal medicine, to her courage to admonish world rulers to choose peace instead of war, she shines across the centuries as an example of how to live fearlessly our own limitless radiance. Hildegard of Bingen brings readers into the presence of this heroic woman, in a devotional treasure that will find a welcome place on any personal altar, shrine, or bedside table. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Mysticism has a long history in Christianity, and 12th-century Hildegard of Bingen is one of Christianity's most admired mystics. The Book of Divine Works is her record of visions from God. Included are a number of letters and sermons that she wrote to various figureheads of the time, along with 15 songs, complete with lyrics and medieval notation.Book Description

As revealed in these writings, Hildegard's mystical ordering of the universe involves a profound connection between the divine and the material planes, serving to reunite with science in a dynamic, holistic cosmology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Anyone but Fox. Please.
It is an insult to one of the greatest of the spiritual masters and moral theologians in the history of Christianity to have her work promoted and misrepresented by a disgrace like Matthew Fox, whom she would have condemned as a heretic had she known him.
Find a different source for information and analysis of the work of Hildegard of Bingen. Please.

Close but....
Sometimes new agers like to take someone's work and usurp it for their own purposes such as "creatrix".Blessed Hildegard was a CATHOLIC; You can't take the fun mysticism and spiritual gifts and leave out the belief system.The belief system Hildegard literally espoused includes Jesus Christ as revealed in Holy Scripture and Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus, declared several times Ex Cathedra.I suggest you find a translator who preserves Blessed Hildegard's Catholicism and get the true perspective.

Decent Book
I was looking for a book on Christian mystics when I bought this, but it isn't for anyone who isn't a die-hard St. Hildegard fan (which, luckily, I happen to be). Her descriptions of her visions are confusing and vague at best, but if you are willing to put a great deal of time and energy into the book, you will be rewarded for it. But I do feel it prudent to say that this is not for the faint of heart - or someone looking for a light read.

Giving your soul a chance.
What Fox illustrated for me is that we are all blessed and that if we learn the mythologizing process of creating that sacred place,- music, art, meditation, adventure - by following our deepest instincts and intuitions,we can actually evolve ourselves to become our true selves which is in itsown way a miracle and magic. We can have inspiration! and we can receivegifts and guidance and assistance from the Unknown and the IneffibleCreator/Creatrix. It is a part of our capacity to become whole and genuineand full of grace. Work. Study. Take risks. ... Read more

Book Description
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) would have been an extraordinary person in any age. But for a woman of the twelfth century her achievements were so exceptional that posterity has found it hard to take her measure. Barbara Newman, a premier Hildegard authority, brings major scholars together to present an accurate portrait of the Benedictine nun and her many contributions to twelfth-century religious, cultural, and intellectual life. Written by specialists in fields ranging from medieval theology to medicine to music, these essays offer an understanding of how one woman could transform so many of the traditions of the world in which she lived.
Hildegard of Bingen was the only woman of her age accepted as an authoritative voice on Christian doctrine as well as the first woman permitted by the pope to write theological books. She was the author of the first known morality play; an artist of unusual talents; the most prolific chant composer of her era; and the first woman to write extensively on natural science and medicine, including sexuality as seen from a female perspective. She was the only woman of her time to preach openly to mixed audiences of clergy and laity, and the first saint whose biography includes a first-person memoir.
Adding to the significance of this volume is the fact that Hildegard's oeuvre reflects the entire sweep of twelfth-century culture and society. Scholars and lay readers alike will find this collection a rich introduction to a remarkable figure and to her tumultuous world. With the commemoration of the 900th anniversary of Hildegard's birth in September 1998, the publication of Voice of the Living Light is especially welcome. ... Read more

Book Description
Hildegard of Bingen is everyone's secret passion these days. Here is a tumultuous year in the life of the great twelfth-century Benedictine abbess, mystic, composer, healer, writer, and advocate of women's full participation in the life of the spirit. Considered a saint in Germany, Hildegard left us three books of her visions in which she often saw the creation as a living, pulsing being, 77 liturgical songs, the first morality play, a book on the healing arts, a catalog of the flora of her native Rhineland, and a wealth of correspondence with monarchs, several popes, and clergy at all levels of society. In conveying the full breadth of Hildegard's inner and outer experience, Barbara Lachman has created a document that rings with truth about this singular woman and her world. Rarely does a literary work succeed as well in letting readers see the world through such illuminated eyes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The reality of a saint
At first blush, this book is a difficult read.The inclusion of commentary by the author had you jumping across the page.After adjusting to this style, you start seeing the real Hildegard.There is much to learn from these writings, the pains, trials and thoughts help to realize the difficulty of Hildegard's path. This seems to be a common message as you look at the lives of all the saints and martyrs of the early church.Nothing worthwhile comes easy.I would reccomend getting this book! ... Read more

Book Description
Synthesizes the holistic wisdom of Hildegard of Bingen to offer the modern reader her spiritual and psychological healing principles.

Takes a holistic view of psychological or spiritual illness and its physical repercussions.

Shows how to incorporate healing words into thoughts in order to prevent negative energy.

Companion volume to Hildegard of Bingen's Medicine, a collection of remedies for physical ailments (30,000 sold).

A 12th-century mystic, visionary, and healer, Hildegard of Bingen recognized what the holistic health movement has only recently restored to our consciousness: that full health can only be experienced in a state of spiritual balance. Psychological trauma, emotional distress, and other maladies of the soul often lead to illness and chronic diseases. Healing the body begins with the self-healing of the spirit.

Dr. Wighard Strehlow explains the natural methods used by Hildegard of Bingen to treat weaknesses of the soul--problems that are today treated by drugs such as Prozac. Based on his clinical work with this effective energetic medicine for more than 20 years, Dr. Strehlow gives readers a complete program for a lifestyle of "spiritual fitness." His practical suggestions are based on the integration of 35 spiritual forces of the human soul in order to "cure the soul within," which he synthesized from five of Hildegard's books on spiritual and psychological healing principles. He suggests that the recovery of Hildegard's insights into cultivating the health of body and spirit may even provide solutions to the challenges currently frustrating Western medical science.

Customer Reviews (2)

A little doctrinaire, but very interesting
Wighard Strehlow has provided a good look at the writings on human health of Hildegard of Bingen, the famous twelfth-century Benedictine nun and mystic.

The focus of this work is basically on attempting to understand the social prblems we are faced with today in terms of the modern Western way of life and how it fails to satisfy what he sees as basic human needs. Essentially, whilst Strehlow does directly refer a good deal to the writings of Hildegard herself, the greater part of this book by far is concerned with his own interpretation of what there things mean for people today. Strehlow certainly believe that the charatceristic remedies proposed in Hildegard's writings - fasting, wearing rough and scratchy clothing and hard physical exercise - will solve the spiritual problems that undoubtedly do plague our culture today. The tone of the book indeed is extremely modern, even postmodern, in the manner it exaplains the body's function and relates them to the way we live our daily life in terms of quite advanced science, especially relating ot bodily chemistry such as that of free radicals.

However, it is fair to say that the book tends to apply Hildegard's findings in a quite literal manner that moves from its generally modern character to a very different world - which Strehlow however does seem to appreciate. He manages in a quite interesting, even thought-provoking way to link up Hildegard's work to the most modern physics and biology, as well as study the findings of dietitians very clearly.

It is fair to say though, that for all its scientific postmodernism, Strehlow is very doctrinaire, at times resembling a Vatican spokesperson. However, the book is still worthwhile reading for the way in which it illustrates a very different system of understanding both physical and spiritual disorders that plague our culture today.

Practical application of ancient healing wisdom
Hildegard of Bingen, also called the Sybil of the Rhine, was a great mystic, poet, musician and healer in 12th century Germany. An early holistic practitioner, she used stones, crystals, herbs, words and music in her healing art. Strehlow's book is based upon Hildegard's Book Of Values In Life, in which she discusses 35 risk factors that are harmful to humanity plus the 35 healing forces that counteract these negatives.

The book makes the connection between physical illness and the sickness of the soul and recommends Hildegard's spiritual remedies instead of surgery, chemical treatment and radiation. The mind controls the body, in particular the autonomic nervous system and all major systems like digestion, sexuality and the immune system.This ties in with modern theories on spiritual healing, like psycho-neuro-immunology. Hildegard's wisdom connects the 35 vertebrae of the spinal cord to the aforementioned 35 spiritual forces of the human body, making clear the connection to every organ.

These 35 factors are discussed in chapters 3 - 7: The Eastman, The Westman, the Northman, The Southman and The New Elders' Ascent To The Summit under sections titled Crystal Therapy, Harmful Words, Healing Words, Organ Relationship and Spiritual Healing. Chapter 6: Fasting, deals with fasting as a way to discover one's true personality. Throughout, the importance of the unity of the body, mind, and soul is stressed. Good health is the result of the right ordering of the relationship of the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual dimensions into a harmonious whole.

For a general introduction and overview of Hildegard's various writings, I recommend the book Selected Writings: Hildegard of Bingen (Penguin Classics) by Mark Atherton. I would also like to recommend the CD Monk And The Abbess. This remarkable album contains four of her compositions: O Quam Mirabilis (Antiphon for the Creator), O Ecclesia (Sequence for St. Ursula), O Clarissima Mater (Responsory for the Virgin) and Tu Illustrata (Antiphon for the Virgin), exquisitely performed by the great musician Meredith Monk. Monk and the Abbess is a highly inspiring album and should appeal to those who appreciate vocal medieval and classical music.

In The Spiritual Remedies, Strehlow succeeds in making accessible the wisdom and insight of this medieval visionary in a practical and useful manner, highly relevant to our time. The text is enhanced with plenty of black and white illustrations. The book contains biographical notes on the author and on Hildegard and concludes with an extensive bibliography and a thorough index. ... Read more

Book Description
For this revised edition of Hildegard's liturgical song cycle, Barbara Newman has redone her prose translations of the songs, updated the bibliography and discography, and made other minor changes. Also included is an essay by Marianne Richert Pfau which delineates the connection between music and text in the Symphonia.

Famous throughout Europe during her lifetime, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a composer and a poet, a writer on theological, scientific, and medical subjects, an abbess, and a visionary prophet. One of the very few female composers of the Middle Ages whose work has survived, Hildegard was neglected for centuries until her liturgical song cycle was rediscovered. Songs from it are now being performed regularly by early music groups, and more than twenty compact discs have been recorded. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

This will keep you busy!
I haven't read the second edition, actually, but I did read the first (1988) and I'm using it at the moment. In addition to fabulous translations (literal and artistic) of Hildegard's poetry, Barbara Newman provides agreat depth of description, background material, explanations, andinformation regarding Hildegard and her work. It's a sound scholarlyreference and the poetry is breathtaking. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Despite Some Historical Inaccuracies, this Book Shines!
Having read several of the more scholarly treatises on Abbess Hildegard of Bingen, I'm finding it a breath of fresh air to experience her as a living being.The book is beautifully written and is not afraid to present Hildegard as all too human, dealing with the concerns and fears that must have accompanied her extraordinary visionary gifts.Although Hildegard would never have called herself a "feminist", since she embraced the precepts and beliefs of Catholicism, including the superiority of an all-powerful male God, she held women in high regard and challenged many of the assumptions of that time about women the value of women in the eyes of God.It is difficult to imagine that the Catholic church never officially granted sainthood to Hildegard; however, she is considered a saint in Germany - and I agree!

Good story with historical flaws
This book really does make Hildegard come to life, by presenting her in the context of her times and her beliefs. But there are lots of weird little historical mistakes that suddenly snap the reader out of 12thcentury Germany, making it hard to stay with the story line. For example: Amonk says he thinks the nuns should just stick with their rosaries--butrosaries didn't exist then. The margravine is desribed as wearing a dresswith lace at the sleeves, but lacemaking was still several centuries in thefuture. Bernard of Clairvaux is described as having a beard, but monks wereclean-shaven--it was the friars of the next century that wore beards. Andseveral characters supposedly wear velvet, but it hadn't been invented yet.I really wish the author had taken the time to research a little better,since Hildegard was (and is) such an appealing character. Historical novelsthat aren't true to their period are as annoying to read as stories withgeographical or technological errors.Putting the archbishop in velvet islike putting Rome in France or giving President Lincoln a telephone--kindamakes it hard to believe the story after that.

Hildegard comes alive.
The life, the country, the contemporaries, and the political times of Hildegard come alive in this book. She was more than a religious woman who could write music - she had a great deal of courage and determination which even today would make her an outstanding feminist. Read it while listening to her music and find your dreams taking yyou to another world. ... Read more

Book Description
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), an important figure in her own time, has come increasingly to critical attention in recent years. Cause et Cure/I>, attributed to Hildegard, is both a cosmological text and a medical handbook; it is a densely layered work woven together from diverse threads. It begins with a chapter on cosmology which leads to consideration of the human being as a small-scale copy of the universe. From here the focus shifts to the diseases and disorders which afflict human beings. The sections on treatment which follow provide information on medieval pharmacology and herbal healing. The text discusses the differences between male and female, human sexuality, embryology, sleep and dreams, signs predicting death or survival, astrological influences.The Introduction sketches Hildegard's life and career, and describes the cultural context with emphasis on medieval medicine. The Interpretive Essay discusses the selections presented in translation and alerts the reader to the benefits as well as the limits of medieval health care.MARGRET BERGER, formerly Associate Professor in the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies (German) at Simon Fraser University, has specialised in medieval German literature and Romance philology. ... Read more

Book Description
Medieval mystic Hildegard of Bingen's timeless writing and divine inspirations invite us to celebrate life and delight in the goodness of creation. Here is an excellent introduction to her words. ... Read more

Book Description
"I stretch out my hands to God that I might be sustained by him, just as a feather lacking all force of its own strength flies upon the wind." Hildegard of Bingen in a letter to Guibert of Gembloux

Hildegard of Bingen, who lived nine hundred years ago, was a remarkable woman--a writer, healer, diplomat, traveling preacher, philosopher, administrator, composer and naturalist--all at a time when most women did few of these things. Today, scholars and historians study her writings, and musicologists study and perform her music. Centuries later, her achievements still inspire us. In this biography, the first in English for young readers, explore Hildegard's life through her words and those of her contemporaries, the people who wrote to her and about her. Perform one of her songs. Recreate one of her remedies. See the places she lived, the alphabet she invented, and experience life from a twelfth-century perspective. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fascinating book, nothing else like it out there
There's been a lot written about Hildegard of Bingen lately, but this is the only book - and it's a wonderful book - that is suitable for older elementary and middle schoolers. My daughter and her friends have really enjoyed this book - the stories from Hildegard's life are very interesting, beautifully written and inspirational (whether you are religious or not). Hildegard was an amazing woman and this is the only book that will allow young readers to discover that for themselves. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Authentic Portrait of Hildegard
Anne King-Lenzmeier has written a comprehensive and truthful work on one of the most fascinating mystics ever. Today many are misusing and misrepresenting Hildegard of Bingen for their own modern causes. You will find no such gibberish here. Anne is a scholar who has written a thoroughly accessible book for the layman who wants to know Hildegard better and deepen their own walk with God in the process. The work is authoritative and thorough. We have much to learn from Hildegard and this book provides an excellent guide to her work and life. ... Read more

Book Description
This volume explores the extraordinary life and work of Hildegard of Bingen, the 12th century abbess and prophet whose interests ranged from music to theology to zoology to medicine.These essays-written specifically for this volume-approach Hildegard from a variety of perspectives including gender theory, musicology, art history, the history of science, and comparative studies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A great work of cosmic Christianity strangelypresented.
The Liber Divinorum Operum (also called De operatione Dei) of which this book contains a partial translation, is the third and last volume of the visions ofHildegardof Bingen (1098-1179). Hildegard's contribution tothe volume is amazing and stirring.It should be read by anyone interestedin cosmic Chistianity. Since there is no other translation into English ofthis work, one would have expected that it would be complete,based on theoriginal, and accompanied by color reproductions of the illuminations inone of the medieval manuscripts. Instead, the translation is incomplete,based on a modern German translation, not the original Latin, and with noindication that the Latin was consulted. (Hildegard says that the voices ofher vision spoke Latin, which she wrote down.)By contrast, Sabina Flagangives (in "Secrets of God")some 25 pages of translations fromthis work based on the original.Comparison of her translations with thosegiven here makes me feel that I am closer to Hildegard when reading theFlanagan translation.The illuminations appear in line drawings. Thebook is then filled out with 90 pages of letters and 30 pages of songs thatare elsewhere available in better editions.The music for the songs isgiven only in square-note notation, so you need special training to readit.The Latin words are given with the music; a highly interpretivetranslation follows each song. While one must be grateful to Hildegard'smodern helpers, one can also wish for a more attractive volume and greaterconfidence that it is the voice of Hildegard herself that one hears. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Excellent Primer on Hildegard of Bingen's life and times
I recently purchased this tape in the hopes in increasing my knowledge of women leaders and role models, especially from medieval and renaissancetimes. The tape is excellent.Fierro's grasp of Hildegard's life isinspiring.She weaves the story of Hildegard's life as a woman religiousand a woman searching for creative and spiritual development in a worldthat would just as soon she didn't exist.In my search for materials onHildegard, including a trip to Bingen, I found numerous books on her lifeand vast array of talents, most in German, unfortunately, and very few thatfocus on her music.Fierro's tape provides a wonderful bridge from thescholarly world to everyday life.Her voice resonated through my carspeakers as did the beautiful and haunting flute music based on Hildegard'swritings.I would recommend this tape to everyone interested in learningabout Hildegard of Bingen, especially those who are time stressed.My onlycomplaint about the tape would be that it wasn't long enough, but I supposePart II is being worked on as we speak.Great tape!!!

An Inspired Life is Brought to Life for Us
The extraordinary life of 12th century German nun Hildegard of Bingen, virtually unknown until recently, is presented by Nancy Fierro with clarity and a sense of expansive generosity.Hildegard was a gifted woman, anulti-dimentional artist, whose mystical visions became manifest in a vastbody of work that encompassed music, writing, medicine, art, and spiritualleadership.Fierro, whose research into Hildegard's legacy has obviouslybeen extensive and detailed, invites the contemporary listener to not onlylearn intriguing details about this amazing visionary, but moresignificantly, to be magnetized to that field of ongoing contemplativeinsight which was Hildegard's true home.Colorful, inspired, and decisive,Fierro's fluid, engaging presentation reflects both scholarship and avibrant reverence for her subject.For those seeking a comprehensiveoverview of the life of Hildegard of Bingen, this is an excellent resource.

Complex material made clear an easily understandable
I have practically worn out this tape listening to it over an over again. It gave me a great deal of information about Hildegard and made me hungry toknow more about this medieval phenomenon. I like the way the authorpresents what could be very complex material in an easy and understandableway. Her voice is unobtrusive and lets me concentrate on the content. Fluteinterludes put me in a relaxed state of mind. I would without questionrecommend this tape to anyone who wants a basic introduction to Hildegard,and her world. ... Read more

Book Description

The HarperCollins Spiritual Classics series presents short, accessible introductions to the classic spiritual writers of the West. Abridged from Paulist Press's distinguished Classics of Western Spirituality series, which boasts the best modern translations available, this new series seeks to find new readers for these dynamic spiritual voices--voices that have changed lives throughout the centuries and still do today.

Book Description
In a format that is accessible, inspirational, and informed by serious scholarship, Passionate Spirituality explores the roots and meanings of passion in western culture, and examines how passion is expressed in the works of two medieval women mystics--Hildegard of Bingen and Hadewijch of Brabant. From that perspective, the author goes on to examine the role of passion in the lives of contemporary Christians seeking to deepen their own spiritual journeys.

Elizabeth Dreyer points out that, far too often, the term "passion" is associated either with romance and sexuality or with political fanaticism--thus cutting off the breadth of its meaning for spiritual expression. But the great mystics succeed precisely because they hold together the affective and the intellectual aspects of the spiritual life in creative and convincing ways. Their accounts of their mystical experience are important resources for information and understanding about how to talk about God more formally, and for what it means to be passionately in love with God and the world.

Passionate Spirituality looks not only to the past, but to the present and future as well as Dreyer explores whether and how these mystical texts might infuse contemporary spirituality with new life, and theological thinking with greater insight. She shows how the expression of mystical experience brings fresh perspectives that allow the affections to influence our thinking and our spiritual life and has the potential to open the deep structures of one's personality to the fullness of grace, to contribute to the ongoing creation of a new self as image of God, and to lead to the pursuit of compassion and commitment to justice on behalf of a suffering world.

PASSIONATE SPIRITUALITY fills an important niche between scholarly works on medieval women, and books of excerpts or simple meditations. It should also appeal to a wide range of lay and clerical ministers and as a study book for adult education classes and discussion groups. It will also serve as a useful text for classes on medieval religious experience, women's history; feminist theology; and Christian mysticism. ... Read more