Continuing our celebration of incredible, witchy women in history, today we honor Hildegard of Bingen—a 12th-century abbess, healer, composer, and visionary whose mystical insights still inspire seekers today. She wasn’t just ahead of her time; she was in a league of her own, blending spirituality, music, herbal medicine, and divine revelations into a life of wisdom and service.
Who Was Hildegard of Bingen?
Born in 1098 in what is now Germany, Hildegard was a woman who refused to be confined by the expectations of her era. From an early age, she experienced powerful visions of light and wisdom—messages she believed came directly from the Divine. Though she lived in a time when women had little authority, her intellect and spiritual gifts couldn’t be ignored. She eventually became the abbess of a Benedictine monastery, where she led with both strength and grace.
A Healer and Herbalist
Hildegard believed that nature held the key to healing, and she wrote extensively about the medicinal properties of plants, gemstones, and even the elements. Her book Physica is one of the earliest known holistic healing guides, blending herbal remedies with a deep understanding of the body, mind, and spirit. She saw health as a balance between the physical and the sacred—an idea that resonates deeply with energy healers and holistic practitioners today.
The Music of the Spheres
As if being a visionary and healer weren’t enough, Hildegard was also a gifted composer. Her music, known as sacred chants or plainsong, is ethereal, hypnotic, and infused with divine inspiration. Even today, her compositions are performed worldwide, carrying a sense of deep peace and spiritual connection. If you’ve never listened to her work, look up
Ordo Virtutum—it’s like a mystical soundtrack to enlightenment.
Why Hildegard Still Matters
Hildegard wasn’t afraid to own her gifts and share them, even when the world told her to stay silent. She wrote about feminine divinity, cosmic balance, and the interconnectedness of all things—concepts that feel just as relevant now as they did 900 years ago. She reminds us to trust our inner wisdom, embrace creativity, and honor the healing power of nature.
Honoring Hildegard Today
Want to bring a little Hildegard magic into your life? Try one of these: Work with herbs—brew an herbal tea or explore natural remedies. Listen to her music—let her chants transport you to a higher vibration:
Ordo Virtutum Trust your visions—journal your intuitive insights and dreams.
Hildegard of Bingen showed us what it means to be fully in tune with the divine while living a life of purpose. Her wisdom still sings through the ages—are you listening?
Hildegard of Bingen's Medicine (Folk Wisdom Series)
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Hildegard of Bingen, a major twelfth-century mystic and prophet, began having divinely inspired visions at the age of six.
