I have always seen this light, in my spirit and not with external eyes, and I name it ‘the cloud of the living light.’ But sometimes I behold within this light another light which I name ‘the living light itself.’

Hildegard of Bingen

The Living Light Itself

Theme: The Light of Truth

From my infancy up to the present time, I now being over seventy years of age, I have always seen this light, in my spirit and not with external eyes, and I name it ‘the cloud of the living light.’ But sometimes I behold within this light another light which I name ‘the living light itself.’ And when I look upon it, every sadness and pain vanishes from my memory, so that I am again as a simple maid and not as an old woman.

Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Benedictine abbess and mystic of medieval Germany. She was born into a noble family in Bermersheim vor der Höhe, Germany, and entered religious life at the age of eight. She received a rudimentary education, but at the age of forty-two, she began to experience a series of visions that would shape her life and work.

Hildegard described these visions as "the living light," and they were often accompanied by physical sensations such as heat, cold, and pain. She believed that these visions were a gift from God, and she felt called to share them with the world. She began to write down her visions, and she also composed music and poetry to express her spiritual insights.

Hildegard was a prolific writer, and her works cover a wide range of topics, including theology, natural science, medicine, and music. She is best known for her three volumes of visionary theology: Scivias, Liber Vitae Meritorum, and Liber Divinorum Operum. These works are rich in symbolism and imagery, and they offer a unique perspective on the nature of God, the human soul, and the world.

In addition to her writings, Hildegard was also a gifted musician and composer. She wrote over 70 songs, including the Ordo Virtutum, an early example of liturgical drama. Her music is characterized by its simple melodies and its use of plainchant.

Hildegard was a complex and multifaceted figure, and her work continues to inspire and challenge people today. She was a visionary, a mystic, a writer, a composer, a scientist, and a healer. She was also a woman of great courage and determination, and she used her gifts to make a difference in the world.

Hildegard of Bingen was a remarkable woman who left a lasting legacy. She was a pioneer in the fields of theology, natural science, and music, and her work continues to be studied and appreciated today. She was also a powerful voice for women's rights, and she challenged the patriarchal structures of her time. Hildegard of Bingen was a true visionary, and she continues to inspire us with her courage, her intellect, and her creativity.

(1098-1179) Christianity

Hildegard of Bingen. Quoted in Prayers for All People, by Mary Ford-Grabowsky, Doubleday, 1995.

Hildegard of Bingen

Theme: The Light of Truth

About This Hildegard of Bingen Quotation [Commentary]

Hildegard of Bingen’s description of divine light encapsulates a deep spiritual insight. She distinguishes between the “cloud of the living light” and a more profound “living light itself,” indicating layers of spiritual awareness. This vision, perceived inwardly rather than through physical senses, highlights an internal spiritual journey. Her experience aligns with the theme of “The Light of Truth,” suggesting that truth is a multi-layered, evolving experience, deepening with one’s personal spiritual journey.

In her context, Hildegard reflects on the transformative power of this light. She notes that the “living light itself” alleviates her sadness and pain, rejuvenating her spirit to a youthful state, irrespective of her physical age. This transformation underscores the timeless, age-defying nature of spiritual truth. The light of truth, as experienced by Hildegard, transcends physical limitations, embodying renewal and transformation.

Hildegard’s experiences echo a broader mystical tradition where divine union implies a connection with all of creation. Similarities can be drawn with other mystics like Julian of Norwich and Teresa of Ávila, who spoke of the resonance between the human soul and the divine universe. Hildegard’s inner light reflects this greater, universal light, suggesting that personal spiritual experiences resonate with a universal truth that permeates life and creation. Her insights reveal the Light of Truth as a universal principle, not just a personal revelation.

Eknath Easwaran—About Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Benedictine abbess and mystic of medieval Germany. After entering religious life at age eight and receiving a rudimentary education, she lived quietly, confiding her visions to one or two close companions. Then, at forty-two, she experienced an overpowering revelation which illumined the meaning of spiritual texts and enjoined her to record and explain her inner experience. Inspired works of theology, poetry, musical composition, painting, natural science, and public service flowed from her from then on. In a rare personal comment, she described the light she experienced continually within:

“From my infancy up to the present time, I now being over seventy years of age, I have always seen this light, in my spirit and not with external eyes, and I name it ‘the cloud of the living light.’ But sometimes I behold within this light another light which I name ‘the living light itself.’ And when I look upon it, every sadness and pain vanishes from my memory, so that I am again as a simple maid and not as an old woman.”

—Hildegard of Bingen, Vita Hildegard II.2, 71 [Eknath Easwaran, God Makes the Rivers to Flow, Nilgiri Press. (Ford-Grabowsky, Mary. Prayers for All People. Hildegard of Bingen. Doubleday, 1995)].

Richard Rohr, Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias [Excerpted from his commentary]

Throughout the ages, the mystics have kept alive the awareness of our union with God and thus with everything. What some now call creation spirituality, deep salvation, or the holistic Gospel was voiced long ago by the Desert Fathers and Mothers, some Eastern Fathers, in the spirituality of the ancient Celts, by many of the Rhineland mystics, and surely by Francis of Assisi. Many women mystics were not even noticed, I am sorry to say.
Julian of Norwich (c. 1343-c. 1416) and Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) would be two major exceptions (though even they have often been overlooked).

Hildegard of Bingen communicated creation spirituality through music, art, poetry, medicine, gardening, and reflections on nature. She wrote in her famous book, Scivias: “You understand so little of what is around you because you do not use what is within you.” This is key to understanding Hildegard and is very similar to Teresa of Ávila’s view of the soul. Without using the word, Hildegard recognized that the human person is a microcosm with a natural affinity for or resonance with the macrocosm, which many of us would call God. Our little world reflects the big world. The key word here is resonance. Contemplative prayer allows your mind to resonate with what is visible and right in front of you.

—Adapted from Richard Rohr with John Feister, Hope Against Darkness: The Transforming Vision of Saint Francis in an Age of Anxiety (Franciscan Media:2001), 135; and unpublished “Rhine” talks (2015) [the Center for Action and Contemplation].

Visionary theology [Excerpt]

Hildegard’s most significant works were her three volumes of visionary theology: Scivias (“Know the Ways”, composed 1142–1151), Liber Vitae Meritorum (“Book of Life’s Merits” or “Book of the Rewards of Life”, composed 1158–1163); and Liber Divinorum Operum (“Book of Divine Works”, also known as De operatione Dei, “On God’s Activity”, composed 1163/4–1172 or 1174). In these volumes, the last of which was completed when she was well into her seventies, Hildegard first describes each vision, whose details are often strange and enigmatic, and then interprets their theological contents in the words of the “voice of the Living Light.”

—Wikipedia [Hildegard of Bingen].

Additional Hildegard of Bingen Quotes

“Humanity, take a good look at yourself. Inside, you’ve got heaven and earth, and all of creation. You’re a world—everything is hidden in you.”

—Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias.

“Divinity is in its omniscience and omnipotence like a wheel, a circle, a whole, that can neither be understood, nor divided, nor begun nor ended.”

—Hildegard of Bingen

“All the arts serving human desires and needs are derived from the breath that God sent into the human body.”

—Hildegard of Bingen

The Living Light Itself

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