Containing Multitudes

“Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of the Earth's greenings. Now, think.” 

Here is our direction from Doctor of the Church, mystic, scientist, healer, preacher, abbess, ecologist, artist, musician, theologian, composer, and playwright, St. Hildegard of Bingen. As a huge fan of hers, there is no one thing that comes to mind as a pithy lesson for a short reflection; I could write twenty reflections (or one insufferably long one) and still barely touch her legacy. So why not zoom out instead of choosing just one piece of Hildegard? Are we not all a collection of so many different loves, interests, accomplishments, and so much more? This is my invitation to you to be all the things, to be too much, to think and love and know there is no ceiling to who you are. 

“I [the Holy Spirit] am the fiery life of the essence of God; I am the flame above the beauty in the fields; I shine in the waters; I burn in the sun, the moon, and the stars. And with the airy wind, I quicken all things vitally by an unseen, all-sustaining life.”

While I am sure there is no way a Medieval noble-born daughter was unaware she had certain womanly expectations, Hildegard did her best to do and be whatever she wanted. As someone who started receiving ecstatic visions at a young age, she had an intimate relationship with her Creator. To be known and loved by your Creator and to love them back gave her the freedom to create, evolve, accept and reject any definitions of self she wanted. 

"God hugs you. You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God.”

You are an image-bearer of the Creator of the Universe. So, create. Think. Love. Be interested in politics and science and music. Be too much. Be just enough. Be silent and loud and weak and strong. 

“Dare to declare who you are. It is not far from the shores of silence to the boundaries of speech. The path is not long, but the way is deep. You must not only walk there, you must be prepared to leap.”

All quotes are from St. Hildegard of Bingen. Hildegard’s music is the easiest to access of her works if you are looking to celebrate her feast; people are still recording it today. If you are not an avid fan of Medieval monophonic monastic chant, I suggest starting with Vision: The Music of Hildegard Von Bingen by Emily Van Evera, which brings Hildegard distinctly to the 1990s. If Hildegard is a new figure to you, at least check out her Wikipedia page.