St. Hildegard Has a Vision
First came the whirl of color
and the cosmic song intensified,
a symphony of music and image
revealing the heart of the holy.
You were often ill between visions,
drinking tea as medicine.
Your visions showed you the world
is so much more expansive
than what we see with dulled eyes.
You saw the universe as an egg,
full of potential, greening life force
pulsing through everything,
knew this wonder
despite your ill health,
knew it in your limbs,
your heart, your eyes. Hours
spent in bed, prone, vulnerable,
prepared you to receive this gift.
Is this what can happen
when we surrender fully?
What can enter through the open heart?
--Christine Valters Paintner, What Enters Through the Open Heart
Dearest dancing monks, artists, and pilgrims,
On Tuesday my fourth and newest collection of poems, What Enters Through the Open Heart, will be published by Monkfish publishing and tomorrow, October 19th, Simon de Voil and I are leading a book launch event! Please join us for poetry and song and celebration!
The poem above is part of a series of poems I wrote in the collection inspired by saints and mystics. Every poetry collection I have written has poems like this because I find so much inspiration in these wise ones who have journeyed before us and offer us wisdom for the way ahead.
If I had to choose my favorite saint of all, many of you would know that my choice would be Hildegard of Bingen, 12th century Benedictine Abbess, visionary, artist, musician, poet, preacher, herbalist, and more. I fell in love with her in graduate school and she led me to my love of Benedictine spirituality and practice. I consider her to be the patron saint of my becoming a Benedictine Oblate.
Hildegard also struggled during her life with illness. They think she perhaps had migraines, as I have had for thirty years. The difference is that my migraines do not come with intricate theological visions and ethereal music! She is a companion for me in many ways, certainly inspiring as she led both her monastic communities while also being incredibly productive in her creative outpouring.
Her vision of viriditas, the greening power of God, permeates the entire universe with this verdant richness and nourishment. I often call on this greening in the moments when I am feeling dry in body and spirit.
The closing line from the poem is the inspiration for the title of this collection. This is the work of our contemplative practice and commitment, to open our hearts and let Spirit and the world enter in and offer us the gift of seeing ourselves and others more deeply and intimately.
Many of the poems I include in this collection are about my own thirty-five journey with autoimmune illness including chronic pain and fatigue. While I share some of the very real struggles here, the book is also about the solace found in nature, and the companionship of the saints and ancestors through the journey. It is about remembering the beauty of quiet moments and stillness that often reveal the heart of wonder and possibility.
Join us tomorrow, October 19th, for a free poetry book launch where I will share more about the book and read several poems, and Simon will offer his beautiful gift of music. I hope you will join us and pre-order the book. The session will be recorded if you can’t join live.
I will also be teaching a 28-day e-course with Spirituality & Practice starting November 2nd. We will be encountering anchoress Julian of Norwich, Carmelite reformer Teresa of Avila, beguine Mechtild of Magdeburg, and Benedictine abbess Hildegard of Bingen. Each week will have three lessons exploring one of these four wise women mystics and will invite you into specific prayer practices inspired by their wisdom and writing.
Cultivating Seeds of Liberation prayer cycle
This week we continue our release of the Cultivating Seeds of Liberation prayer cycle video podcasts with Day 3: Hope. The evening cycle opens with this prayer by Wisdom Council member Claudia Love Mair:
We come with humility, Great Spirit. So many trod the valley of despair right now, and if one of us suffers, any of us, at any time can be plunged into waking nightmares. Yet, the reality is we ourselves, as individuals, will never be able to help everyone. That, too, feels hopeless. But where we are not able, you Spirit of Love, are able. You have the power to knit us together in Love to collectively make a difference. We ask that you foster love-fueled hope in us, that drives us to do what is ours to do. And let us trust you to give our other beloveds what is theirs to do to alleviate the suffering of those you hold in your heart, along with us.
You are invited to pray with the videos for Day 3 Morning and Evening Prayer: Hope.
With great and growing love,
Christine
Christine Valters Paintner, OblSB, PhD, REACE
Cover Image from Monkfish Publishing
