Wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers
In the spiritual tradition that flows from Egypt to France to the Celtic islands, the emphasis is not on Original Sin by rather Original Blessing. In this worldview, nature is good and glorious. Where we err is when we become unnatural, like a tree that grows crooked because of circumstance. The way to "straighten" ourselves is through practice. not dogma.
In this view, the seed of goodness and beauty is planted inside the depths of each human heart. We need to connect to the Root of Goodness, and then, like an exquisite vineyard or tree, we will naturally blossom, grow and bear fruit. The nature of a human being fully awake and alive, in Hildegard's view, is to become a fountain of creativity, a blossoming branch. In her theology, the best example of the Greening Power of God is Mary who because she was so deeply rooted in the divine, bore the fruit that was Jesus.
What are the practices that can cultivate our own inner flowering? Silence, song, study, connection with the natural world are the things to cultivate so that we can open the doors of our imaginations and take root in our hearts so that we might become "monos" ( "singular"), at one with our selves and in tune and living in harmony with the Divine Symphony.
In this view, the seed of goodness and beauty is planted inside the depths of each human heart. We need to connect to the Root of Goodness, and then, like an exquisite vineyard or tree, we will naturally blossom, grow and bear fruit. The nature of a human being fully awake and alive, in Hildegard's view, is to become a fountain of creativity, a blossoming branch. In her theology, the best example of the Greening Power of God is Mary who because she was so deeply rooted in the divine, bore the fruit that was Jesus.
What are the practices that can cultivate our own inner flowering? Silence, song, study, connection with the natural world are the things to cultivate so that we can open the doors of our imaginations and take root in our hearts so that we might become "monos" ( "singular"), at one with our selves and in tune and living in harmony with the Divine Symphony.
Psalm antiphon for the Virgin (D 155r) by Hildegard of Bingen
O frondens virga,
in tua nobilitate stans
sicut aurora procedit:
nunc gaude et letare
et nos debiles dignare
a mala consuetudine liberare
atque manum tuam porrige
ad erigendum nos.
O blooming branch,
you stand upright in your nobility,
as breaks the dawn on high:
Rejoice now and be glad,
and deign to free us, frail and weakened,
from the wicked habits of our age;
stretch forth your hand
to lift us up aright.
A fabulous link to the International Hildegard of Bingen Society, with lyrics, performances and music of Hildegard.
Recommended Readings:
Desert Fathers and Mothers, Christine Vaulter Paintner
In the Heart of the Desert: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, John Chryssavgis
The Alphabetical Collection, Benedicta Ward
