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Hildegard of Bingen: Woman of Vision

From Chapter Five:
"One day, Hildegard stood trembling as her physical surroundings in the cloister washed away to insignificance in the blindingly bright light that came from...where? And the voice that spoke to her, where did it come from? It reverberated in her mind: 'Frail human being, ashes of ashes, decay of decay, say and write what you see and hear! However, since you are timid in speech, simple in understanding and unlearned, the visions you write are not spoken and written from human interpretation, nor from human knowledtge, or brought forth by human will, but brought forth from the gift of heavenly sight: how you, in the wonder of God, see and hear.
Hildegard was forty-three years old, and sound of mind. She had experienced visions for most of her life, but from this vision, she understood she was to write them down. She hesitated. Who would believe her? Would people think she was presumptuous or only looking for attention?"
Copyright 2004 Carol Reed-Jones. All rights reserved.