‘SELECTED WRITINGS’ – Saint Hildegard of Bingen; Translated by Mark Atherton – ‘STRUGGLES FOR …
[Saint HILDEGARD OF BINGEN ~ XI-XII Century AD; born: Bermersheim, Holy Roman Empire/died: Bingen am Rhein, Holy Roman Empire, aged 81; Abbess, Polymath, Writer, Composer, Mystic, Visionary, Philosopher, Medical Writer and Practitioner, Composer of Sacred Monophony, Virgin, Founder, Doctor of the Church]
10. The Trials of the Soul (from Scivias I, 4)
[The first few chapters of Scivias I, 4, form a separate section prior to a discussion of the physiology of human conception and Church teachings on marriage. Two of the chapter titles describe the text as ‘the lament of the soul on the path of error but returning through the grace of God to her mother Zion’ (eh. 1) and ‘the wings of the soul’ (eh. 2), both of which give some indication of the theme. It is tempting to see a link between the spiritual states symbolized in this story and Hildegard’s own tribulations as she gradually gained recognition as a writer and spiritual leader. She returned to a similar plot for her drama of Anima …More
"Tired and exhausted as I was, I at last reached the summit of the mountain in which I had previously hidden, and made my way towards a gully where I had to descend. But there I stopped and looked. Vipers, scorpions, lizards and various other species of reptile were hissing their tongues at me and blocking the way down!
‘Mother, where are you?’ I screamed in my terror. ‘I could have borne this pain more easily if I’d never felt your presence before. Now I’ll be thrown into captivity again where I was kept for so long! Where is your help now?’
It was then that I heard my mother’s voice speaking to me, ‘Run, my daughter, run, for you have been granted wings to fly with by the great Giver whom none can resist. Quickly, therefore, fly over all these creatures opposing you.’ And then, with a great feeling of comfort and release, I took up my wings and flew quickly over those venomous and death-dealing vipers."
"And so I was drummed out of my inheritance. My captors dragged me to this place of exile without beauty or honour. They threw me into slavery. They beat me with their fists and made me eat with the pigs. They sent me to a desert place and gave me bitter herbs to eat dipped in honey. Then they laid me in a wine-press and subjected me to many torments. They pulled off my clothes, striking me with many blows and sending me out to hunt."