Quotes from Hildegard of Bingen

And I saw a light-filled man emerge from the aforesaid dawn and pour his brightness over the aforementioned darkness; it repulsed him; he turned blood-red and pallid, but struck back against the darkness with such force that the man who was lying in the darkness became visible and resplendent.

Nevertheless, if someone has an empty brain—and because of this is vexed by insanity, and is delirious—take the whole grains of wheat and cook them in water. Remove these cooked grains from the water, and place them around his whole head, tying a cloth over them. His brain will be reinvigorated by their vital fluid, and he may recover his health and strength. Do this until he returns to his right mind.

We cannot live in a world interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a hope. Part of the terror is to take back our listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.

Underneath all the texts, all the sacred psalms and canticles, these watery varieties of sounds and silences, terrifying, mysterious, whirling and sometimes gestating and gentle must somehow be felt in the pulse, ebb, and flow of the music that sings in me. My new song must float like a feather on the breath of God.

Glance at the sun. See the moon and stars. Gaze at the beauty of the green earth. Now think.

Even in a world that's being shipwrecked, remain brave and strong.

All the arts serving human desires and needs are derived from the breath that Godsent into the human body.

The mystery of God hugs you in its all-encompassing arms.

A human being is a vessel that God has built for himself and filled with his inspiration so that his works are perfected in it.