Saint Hildegard of Bingen: Visionary, Mystic, and the Greening Force

Saint Hildegard of Bingen: Visionary, Mystic, and the Greening Force

Before returning to our exploration of witchcraft, I couldn’t resist pausing to share the story of Saint Hildegard of Bingen. She was a woman ahead of her time—visionary, healer, musician, and mystic—whose influence stretched far beyond the cloister walls. To know Hildegard is to glimpse the living pulse of medieval spirituality, one that spoke of creation’s beauty, healing power, and divine mystery.

Visions and the Voice of the Divine

From childhood, Hildegard experienced vivid visions—intensely colored, symbolic, and filled with light. At first, she kept them secret, fearing ridicule. But eventually, under pressure from spiritual advisors, she wrote them down. The result was Scivias (“Know the Ways”), a sprawling record of cosmic images that she insisted were divinely inspired.[1]

The Greening Force (Viriditas)

Hildegard coined a term—viriditas, meaning “greenness” or the greening force of life. She saw nature as alive with divine vitality, every plant and creature pulsing with God’s creative energy. For her, healing was not only about herbs but about harmony between the soul, the body, and the earth itself. This holistic worldview makes her feel surprisingly modern.[2]

Composer, Healer, and Abbess

Beyond visions, Hildegard poured herself into music and healing. She composed ethereal chants that still sound otherworldly today, marked by soaring melodies unlike anything in traditional Gregorian chant. She also wrote works on medicine and herbal remedies, drawing from both observation and spiritual insight. As abbess, she guided her community with strength and compassion, refusing to be dismissed simply because of her gender.[3]

A Woman of Power in a Man’s World

Hildegard corresponded with emperors, popes, and bishops—never shying from offering advice or critique. Despite the constraints of her time, she carved a place of authority, respected as a prophetess. Her canonization centuries later felt almost unnecessary; her sanctity had long been recognized in the hearts of those who read her words or heard her music.[4]

Why Hildegard Still Matters

To me, Hildegard’s story resonates because she embodies what is often forgotten in medieval Christianity: the fierce, feminine, creative spirit that insisted on being heard. She bridged science and spirit, body and soul, earth and heaven. And in her voice, we hear the timeless truth that creation itself is alive with divine mystery.

What Comes Next

While witchcraft remains our next great chapter, I didn’t want Hildegard to be passed over. After her, we’ll also explore the lives and legacies of Saint Catherine of Siena and St. Thomas Becket, before moving deeper into witchcraft, persecution, and the reclaiming of forgotten truths.

Footnotes

  1. Barbara Newman, Sister of Wisdom: St. Hildegard’s Theology of the Feminine (1987). ↩
  2. Victoria Sweet, Rooted in the Earth, Rooted in the Sky: Hildegard of Bingen and Premodern Medicine (2006). ↩
  3. Margot Fassler, Voices of the Living Light: Hildegard of Bingen and Her World (1998). ↩
  4. Sabina Flanagan, Hildegard of Bingen, 1098–1179: A Visionary Life (1998). ↩

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