HILDEGARD VON BINGEN - MEDIEVAL MYSTIC MUSIC MAKER

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Hildegard von Bingen - visionary, poet, composer, naturalist, healer, and theologian - founded convents; corresponded with secular and ecclesiastical leaders, as well as a vast range of people of lesser rank; and ventured forth as a monastic trouble-shooter, consultant exorcist, and visiting preacher. Even more remarkable for a woman of her time was the body of written work she produced. Its range - from natural history and medicine to cosmology, music, poetry, and theology - surpasses that of most other male contemporaries; it also possesses great beauty and witnesses to Hildegard's intellectual power.

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Born at Bermersheim in Rheinhesse in 1098, the tenth and last child of noble parents, Hildegard showed early signs of exceptional spiritual gifts. Looking back, she placed the onset of her visionary experiences in early childhood, although at that stage she did not understand their significance.
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Her parents, Hildebert and Mechtilde, although wealthy and engaged in worldly affairs, were not unmindful of the gifts of the Creator and dedicated their daughter to the service of God. For when she was yet a child she seemed far removed from worldly concerns, distanced by a precocious purity). The life they chose for her was that of a companion to Jutta, daughter of Count Stephan of Spanheim, who lived in a cell near the church of the Benedictine monks at Disibodenberg. Jutta instructed her young charge in the recitation of the Psalter, teaching her to read and (by no means an obvious corollary at the time) to write. In subsequent years Hildegard was always quick to point out how limited her formal education had been, emphasizing that she had been taught by an "indocta mulier" (unlearned woman) and, consequently, that any insight she gained into theological or secular matters was divinely inspired.

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The reputation for holiness of Jutta and her pupil soon spread throughout the district, and other parents sought to have their daughters join what was developing into a small Benedictine convent on the site of the monastery of Disibodenberg. By the time Hildegard was fifteen the process seems to have been complete, for at that time she took the veil from the hands of the bishop of Bamberg.

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The visionary experiences that set her apart as a child had continued, as had her recurrent illnesses. That there was a link between her visions and her state of health was recognized by Hildegard herself (some modern commentators claim that the visions were occasioned by a migraine condition). By this time, however, Hildegard had learned to conceal the visions. She confided them only to Jutta, who in turn informed the monk Volmar of Disibodenberg, who was to become Hildegard's teacher, trusted assistant, and friend until his death in 1173.

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Between the time other profession as a nun and the death of Jutta in 1136, when Hildegard was unanimously elected to head the convent, sources give only the most conventional descriptions of the kind of life she led. Within a few years, however, this situation was to change. She recalled the turning point in her life, the vision that suddenly enabled her to penetrate to the inner meaning of the texts of her religion:

"And it came to pass in the eleven hundred and forty-first year of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, Son of God, when I was forty-two years and seven months old, that the heavens were opened and a blinding light of exceptional brilliance flowed through my entire brain. And so it kindled my whole heart and breast like a flame, not burning but warming.... And suddenly I understood the meaning of the expositions of the books, that is to say of the Psalter, the evangelists and other catholic books of the Old and New Testaments ...."

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More important than this sudden access of understanding was the command that was part of the vision: Hildegard was to say and write what she learned in this way. When she hesitated to start writing, doubting that she was equal to the task and fearful of the reaction of her male contemporaries, she fell ill. She interpreted this phenomenon as a sign of God's displeasure and confided at last in Volmar. With his encouragement, and the permission of Abbot Kuno of Disibodenberg, she began recording the visions that formed the basis of Scivias
 (Know the Ways [of God]. 1141 -1151), a work that
 took her ten years to complete.

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by Sabina Flanagan

University of Adelaide

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"Listen: there was once a king sitting on his throne.

Around him stood great and wonderfully beautiful columns ornamented with ivory, bearing the banners of the king with great honor. Then it pleased the king to raise a small feather from the ground, and he commanded it to fly. The feather flew, not because of anything in itself, but because the air bore it along. Thus am I, a feather on the breath of God."

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Hildegard von Bingen

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HER GIFT OF MUSIC
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At the heart of Hildegard von Bingen's extraordinary creativity was her accomplishment in music. In the poetry and melody of her songs, she reveals the full authority, intelligence and striking originality of her genius. She wrote profusely as no woman before her. Even though she received no formal training in music, her talent and motivation drove her to write 77 chants and the first musical drama in history, which she entitled "The Ritual of the Virtues." She writes in her autobiographical passages: "I composed and chanted plainsong in praise of God and the saints even though I had never studied either musical notation or singing." Unlike the mild, mainstream music of her day, her lyrical speech breaks into rhapsodic emotion; her zesty melodies soar up to two and one half octaves, leaping and swirling into flourishing roulades which leave the singer breathless. Hildegard's music can only be fully understood, however, in the light of all her work.

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THE WIDE COMPASS OF HER MUSIC

The beauty and depth of theme found in Hildegard’s theology, philosophy, cosmology and medicine can all be found condensed in her music as in a jewel. For Hildegard, music was an all-embracing concept. It was the symphony of angels praising God, the balanced proportions of the revolving celestial spheres, the exquisite weaving of body and soul, the hidden design of nature's creations. It was the manifest process of life moving, expanding, growing towards the joy of its own deepest realizations and a profound unity of voices singing the praises of God here on earth. It was beauty, sound, fragrance and the flower of human artistry. Over 300 times in her writings, Hildegard uses music to illuminate spiritual truths.

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SYMPHONIA

Hildegard combined all her music into a cycle called The Symphony of the Harmony of the Heavenly Revelations. This title refers not only to the heavenly inspiration of her music but to the place music held in her schema as the highest form of praise to God. She believed that many times a day, we fall out of sorts, lose our way or find ourselves off center. Music was the sacred technology which could best tune humanity, redirect our hearts toward heaven and put our feet back onto the wholesome pathways of God.

"Symphonia" was a key concept in Hildegard's thought and meant not only the joyful harmony achieved in blending voices and instruments but the spiritual field of unity we all long for when we sing. In singing and playing music, we integrate mind, heart and body, heal discord between us, and celebrate heavenly harmony here on earth. According to Hildegard, this becomes our "opus" – the epitome of good work in the service of God.
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HILDEGARD AS A COMPOSER

Musically, the most important thing that Hildegard experienced as a child in the monastery was the opportunity to take part in the Divine Office. According to the Benedictine rule, monastics sang the Office eight times each day, beginning in the dead of night at 2.a.m. and concluding around 9 p.m. Every three hours, she listened to the musical interplay of words and tones. Musician and scholar Christopher Page puts it very well when he says, "life was spent singing the words of the liturgy and reading the words of the Latin Bible until the fabric of [her] memory was dyed with them to the deepest, to the most irremovable, tint." Thus, we see that Hildegard was immersed in music from the start.

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The women's cloister had two windows, one that opened to the outside and one that opened into the church from a small choir where the nuns sat and participated in the liturgy. Through this window, Hildegard heard the form of the music, deciphered the eight modes and absorbed the subtle match of text and sound. Singers might also read notes from one large manuscript book called the Graduale.

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Every day, the sisters sang during the Divine Office and at the celebration of the Eucharist. This means that the nuns chanted for almost four hours a day. For Hildegard the composer, the monastery provided an ideal situation. It had a scriptorium where experienced copyists could pen her music; a skilled and practiced performing body to sing it; and liturgical occasions for its performance.

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Dr. Nancy Fierro, CSJ

Mount Saint Mary's College, Los Angeles

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Instruments

We do not know whether or not Hildegard used instruments to accompany chants at the monastery. We do know that she affirmed the use of instruments and considered them a means to soften the heart and direct it toward God. She gave certain instruments a special function and meaning.

Tambourine – inspires discipline. The skin of the tambourine is spread tightly over the frame, like that of a fasting body.

Flute – with its seductive and intimate sound reminds us of the breath of the Spirit.

Trumpet – clear, strong, wakeful, like the voice of the prophets.

Strings – correspond to the earthly condition of the soul as it struggles back to the light. The sounds of the strings stir up the emotions of our heart and lead us to repentance.

Harp – instrument of heavenly blessedness. It brings back thoughts of our holy origins and helps us remember who we are and who we are called to be.

Psaltery – a plucked instrument with strings stretched over a soundboard and played by one or two plectra. It represented the unity of heaven and earth since it was played both on the top and bottom strings.

Organ – as an instrument capable of playing harmonies, it helps create community.
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Spiritus Sanctus Vivificans Vita
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O Holy Spirit
who bestows life to all,
who brings movement to all,
you are the breath
of all creatures.
You wash them clean
of all impurities,
you anoint and heal
their wounds.
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You are the fire
that awakens our spirits,
you are the light
that guides our way,
may all praise you.
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Translation by Joanne Asala
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AMOS - A PROPHET FOR THE HERE AND NOW

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Amos was not a "professional" prophet, but a common man utilized by the Lord to deliver His Word to His people. "I am not a prophet, nor am I the son of a prophet ... but the Lord took me from following the flock and the Lord said to me, 'Go prophesy to My people Israel.' And now hear the Word of the Lord!" (Amos 7:14-16). He had no special training; he was not a graduate of the School of the Prophets (variously referred to as "bands" -- I Samuel 10:5, 10, and "companies" -- I Samuel 19:20, and "sons of the prophets" -- I Kings 20:35); nor was he descended from or related to any prophets.
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He was not even a citizen of Israel (the northern kingdom), but rather of Judah (the southern kingdom). Nevertheless, God sent him to Israel to proclaim the Word to the people of the northern kingdom. He was not a man of wealth, yet was sent to warn the wealthy; not a man of luxury, or one who was lazy, yet sent to those who were both. All of this was designed to separate the MAN from the MESSAGE. There was to be nothing about this man which would attract a personal following. It was the message God desired the people to focus upon, not the messenger!

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Amos did most, if not all, of his prophetic work (the totality of which probably did not last over a year or so --- Amos 1:1) in the city of Bethel (Amos 7:10), where he was denounced by Amaziah the priest and forbidden to preach further in Israel.
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"Someone has described Amos as 'the first Great Reformer.' He was not of the school of the prophets, who by this time were disposed to cry what the people wanted ..... There was not in Amos the sympathy, warm love, and feeling of the statesman or citizen, but a cold sense of justice and right. He was the stern prophet of justice and righteousness. Hosea's spirit was summed up in the word lovingkindness; Amos' is summed up in the one word justice" (Homer Hailey).
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"The dark days in which he lived called for a man of sturdy moral fiber and fearlessness. Such was Amos. His character, molded in the harsh terrain of the wilderness of Tekoa, enabled him to stand before the priest and the people, proclaiming the word God had given him" (Expositor's Bible Commentary). "At the call of God he left his home in Judea as a mere layman to proclaim a hostile message in the proud capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Without any status as a recognized prophet, he braved the prejudice of the Ephraimite public to carry out faithfully his commission from God. A man of rugged convictions and iron will, he could not be deflected from his purpose even by the highest functionary of the Samaritan hierarchy" (Gleason L. Archer, Jr.).

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This was a time when the fortunes of the northern kingdom (Israel) had reached one of their highest points of prosperity and peace. Jeroboam was able to extend his borders almost to those of the old Davidic kingdom. There was also peace with the southern kingdom (Judah). "After a long period of conflict during which Judah was in many respects subservient to Israel, there was now a spirit of co-operation and mutual enterprise resulting in a flow of trade and commerce between the two kingdoms" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).
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It was a time of great economic well-being and national strength. The increase in wealth also led to extensive building programs. The simple brick of earlier days gave way to buildings of hewn stone and ivory decorations. They had "winter houses" and "summer houses" (Amos 3:15). They had "houses of ivory" (Amos 3:15), and "houses of well-hewn stone" (Amos 5:11). They reclined on "beds of ivory" (Amos 6:4); sprawled on couches; ate and drank to their fill; anointed themselves with the finest oils; were surrounded by music (Amos 6:4-7). In short, they were "at ease in Zion" (Amos 6:1).
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"Concurrently with the increased wealth there was an associated rise in those social evils which characterized the prosperity of Solomon's reign; the rich became very rich and the poor became even poorer" (New Layman's Bible Commentary). "As their economic well-being and national strength continued to foster their security, an internal decay was eating at their vitals" (Expositor's Bible Commentary).
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There was a complete lack of social concern in the land. The rich would stop at nothing to increase their profits, including economic exploitation of the poor. Even the legal system was corrupted, and the poor had no recourse even in the courts. "The rich enjoyed an indolent and indulgent existence, urged on by the rapacity of their wives who demanded more and more luxuries" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).

"Back of all moral, social, and political corruption there lies a basic cause: Religious decay and apostasy" (Homer Hailey). The people were religious, but they were far from being spiritual. Their religion consisted of external acts --- they were putting on a show for God, but He was not fooled. "They prided themselves in their expensive 'church buildings.' They boasted of the numerous sacrifices which they offered, and of the fact that they offered them exactly as the Law prescribed ('legalism'). They gloried in their perfect attendance record at the worship services. They were well pleased with their efforts to sing praises to the Lord. But, by way of contrast, Amos rejected the idea that quantity, numbers, and external show was really religion!" (Willis). Some have criticized Amos for being a preacher of a "social gospel." However, "God made it clear that the heart of religion was to love God with all the heart, and to love one's neighbor as himself. Without these two elements, any number of external acts are meaningless to God" (Willis).

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"The prophets had degenerated into time-servers, blinded with the complacency of the nation. Religion certainly flourished in the nation but it was a religion that was completely divorced from reality. There was a great deal of activism and outward show with crowds thronging the shrines at the times of the great festivals. Ritual was elaborate, but there was no true life and no evidence that real spiritual values had any place, and Yahweh was patronized with a presumption bordering upon arrogance" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).

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"Extravagant religious ceremonies and rites were manifested on every hand. Tithes were offered every three days; free-will offerings were abundant and the amounts advertised (Amos 4:4-5). Religious fervor was high, but true spiritual devotion to God was utterly lacking" (Homer Hailey). "It was a religion which was empty in content, though full of ritual. Amos insisted that God had no time for ritualistic religion without heart" (New Layman's Bible Commentary).
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Edited from an essay by
Al Maxey
zianet.com 

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JEREMIAH THE FEARLESS

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From THE URANTIA BOOK 
Part III, 97, 6
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While several teachers continued to expound

the gospel of Isaiah, it remained for Jeremiah to

take the next bold step in the internationalization

of Yahweh, God of the Hebrews.
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Jeremiah fearlessly declared that Yahweh

was not on the side of the Hebrews in their military

struggles with other nations. He asserted that Yahweh

was God of all the earth, of all nations and of all peoples.
 Jeremiah’s teaching was the crescendo of the rising wave
 of the internationalization of the God of Israel;
 finally and forever did this intrepid preacher proclaim
 that Yahweh was God of all nations, and that there was no Osiris
 for the Egyptians, Bel for the Babylonians, Ashur for the Assyrians,
 or Dagon for the Philistines.
 And thus did the religion of the Hebrews share in that renaissance
 of monotheism throughout the world at about and following this time;
 at last the concept of Yahweh had ascended to a Deity level
 of planetary and even cosmic dignity.
But many of Jeremiah’s associates found it difficult
 to conceive of Yahweh apart from
 the Hebrew nation.
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Jeremiah also preached of the just and loving God

described by Isaiah, declaring:
 “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
 therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you.”
 “For he does not afflict willingly the children of men.”
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Said this fearless prophet:

“Righteous is our Lord, great in counsel and mighty in work.
His eyes are open upon all the ways of all the sons of men,
 to give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.”
 But it was considered blasphemous treason when,
 during the siege of Jerusalem, he said:
 “And now have I given these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar,
 the king of Babylon, my servant.”
 And when Jeremiah counseled the surrender of the city,
the priests and civil rulers cast him into
 the miry pit of a dismal dungeon.
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ASTROLOGERS, SHAMANS, PRIESTS, SEERS, WIZARDS & WITCHES

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Spirit conjuring was a very precise and

highly complicated procedure, comparable to

present-day church rituals conducted in an

ancient tongue. The human race very early sought

for superhuman help, for revelation; and men believed

that the shaman actually received such revelations.

While the shamans utilized the great power of

suggestion in their work, it was almost invariably

negative suggestion; only in very recent times

has the technique of positive suggestion been

employed. In the early development of their

profession the shamans began to specialize in such

vocations as rain making, disease healing, and

crime detecting. To heal diseases was not,

however,the chief function of a shamanic

medicine man; it was, rather, to know

and to control the hazards of living.

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Ancient black art, both religious and secular,

was called white art when practiced by either

priests, seers, shamans, or medicine men.

The practitioners of the black art were called

sorcerers, magicians, wizards, witches, enchanters,

necromancers, conjurers, and soothsayers.

As time passed, all such purported contact

with the supernatural was classified either

as witchcraft or shamancraft.

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Witchcraft embraced the magic performed

by earlier, irregular, and unrecognized spirits;

shamancraft had to do with miracles performed

by regular spirits and recognized gods of the tribe.

In later times the witch became associated with

the devil, and thus was the stage set for the many

comparatively recent exhibitions of religious

intolerance. Witchcraft was a religion with

many primitive tribes.

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The shamans were great believers in the

mission of chance as revelatory of the will

of the spirits; they frequently cast lots to

arrive at decisions. Modern survivals of this

proclivity for casting lots are illustrated,

not only in the many games of chance,

but also in the well-known "counting-out"

rhymes. Once, the person counted out must die;

now, he is only it in some childish game.

That which was serious business to primitive man

has survived as a diversion of the modern child.

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The medicine men put great trust in signs and omens,

such as, "When you hear the sound of a rustling

in the tops of the mulberry trees, then shall you

bestir yourself." Very early in the history of the race

the shamans turned their attention to the stars.

Primitive astrology was a world-wide

belief and practice;

dream interpreting also became widespread.

All this was soon followed by the appearance of

those temperamental shamanesses who professed to

be able to communicate with the spirits of the dead.

.Though of ancient origin, the rain makers,

or weather shamans, have persisted right on down

through the ages. A severe drought meant death

to the early agriculturists; weather control

was the object of much ancient magic.

Civilized man still makes the weather the common

topic of conversation. The olden peoples all believed

in the power of the shaman as a rain maker,

but it was customary to kill him when he failed,

unless he could offer a plausible excuse

to account for the failure.

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Again and again did the Caesars banish

the astrologers, but they invariably returned because

of the popular belief in their powers.

They could not be driven out, and even in

the sixteenth century after Christ the directors

of Occidental church and state were

the patrons of astrology.

Thousands of supposedly intelligent people

still believe that one may be born under the

domination of a lucky or an unlucky star;

that the juxtaposition of the heavenly bodies

determines the outcome of various terrestrial

adventures. Fortunetellers are still patronized

by the credulous.

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The Greeks believed in the efficacy of oracular advice,

the Chinese used magic as protection against demons,

shamanism flourished in India,

and it still openly persists in central Asia.

It is an only recently abandoned practice

throughout much of the world.

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Ever and anon, true prophets and teachers arose

to denounce and expose shamanism. Even the vanishing

red man had such a prophet within the past hundred

years, the Shawnee Tenskwatawa, who predicted

the eclipse of the sun in 1808 and denounced

the vices of the white man.
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Many true teachers have appeared among the

various tribes and races all through the long ages

of evolutionary history. And they will ever continue to

appear to challenge the shamans or priests of any age

who oppose general education and attempt

to thwart scientific progress.

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In many ways and by devious methods the

olden shamans established their reputations as

voices of God and custodians of providence.

They sprinkled the newborn with water and conferred

names upon them; they circumcised the males.

They presided over all burial ceremonies and made

due announcement of the safe arrival

of the dead in spiritland.

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The shamanic priests and medicine men

often became very wealthy through the accretion

of their various fees which were ostensibly offerings

to the spirits. Not infrequently a shaman would

accumulate practically all the material wealth

of his tribe.
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Upon the death of a wealthy man it was customary

to divide his property equally with the shaman

and some public enterprise or charity.

This practice still obtains in some parts of Tibet,

where one half the male population belongs to

this class of nonproducers.
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The shamans dressed well and usually had

a number of wives; they were the original aristocracy,

being exempt from all tribal restrictions.

They were very often of low-grade mind and morals.

They suppressed their rivals by denominating them

witches or sorcerers and very frequently rose to

such positions of influence and power that they

were able to dominate the chiefs or kings.

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Primitive man regarded the shaman as

a necessary evil; he feared him but did not love him.

Early man respected knowledge; he honored and

rewarded wisdom. The shaman was mostly fraud,

but the veneration for shamanism well illustrates

the premium put upon wisdom in

the evolution of the race.

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THE URANTIA BOOK, III, 90, 2
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JOHN THE BAPTIST - June 24

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HIS CLOTHES WERE WEIRD.

HIS DIET WAS SPARTAN. You could tell

he'd spent years in isolation,

breaking loose from social conventions

to which the rest of us cheerfully adhere.

He was, in other words, a strangely free individual.

Fear had no claims on him,

so he could speak the truth as he understood it.

When he talked, he yelled,

and the topic of his rants was always religion.

If you saw this man on the street today,

you'd cross to the other side for sure.

Who would want to be a friend of John the Baptist?

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Alice Camille, U.S. Catholic, Dec., '07