Letter from Matthew Fox on Learning from Hildegard of Bingen Together
It is no secret that we are living in demanding times—climate change, coronavirus, the rise of authoritarianism, the weakening of democracies, the facing down of centuries of racism and sexism and current efforts to turn back advancement in women’s rights and the return of the divine feminine and the continued promulgation of a distorted understanding of the masculine.
Such demands can readily deplete our energy, slow us down, depress us and tempt us to settle for a smaller world.
At the same time, there are growing movements for gender and racial and political justice that beckon us to find the energy to make our contribution. The new scientific cosmology gives us an awesome context for our personal lives; and a global yearning for deep ecumenism where we look for wisdom from many world spiritual traditions to lead with values we find deep inside of us and our traditions. There is a growing realization of how we are all called to contribute to a more healthy world.
How do we ground ourselves in these struggles that dominate the landscape of our times? How do we develop both energy and courage, insight and intuition, to find allies and bring our values to the table in spite of obstacles? How do we develop the “greening power” and creative energy that Hildegard talks so much about?
One way is to listen to her deep teachings and learn from her writings, mandala paintings, music and more. This is what I look forward to sharing with you in our seven week class on Hildegard’s wisdom.
In John Lewis’s moving farewell letter which he addressed to young people and wrote the week of his passing, he urged them to consider how truth does not grow old and therefore to study the wisdom of our ancestors.
Hildegard of Bingen is such an ancestor. In many ways she was ignored for hundreds of years (like a lot of women savants), but today she is speaking to our deepest needs and seeks to empower us for the struggles we face, just as she was an empowered woman in her own time.
Carl Jung said that “it is to the mystics that we owe what is best in humanity.” It has been my privilege during 80 years on this earth to learn from the mystics and to assist others to learn from them. I truly look forward to our learning together from Hildegard how we can bring forth the deepest energy and wisdom from our depths in order to contribute in this critical moment in human and planetary history. And dig deep within ourselves for what is “the best in humanity.”
We will do this by entering into her music and paintings and teachings, among which are these: That life’s journey is to set up your “tent of original wisdom”; that “the earth must not be injured, the earth must not be destroyed for she is the mother of all”; That the only sin in life is drying up and we must do everything “to stay wet and green and moist and juicy.” And so much more.
Hildegard speaks to me and to millions of others in our time. Join us as we allow her to stir our souls and imaginations to become the spiritual warrior that she was and bring both love and hope alive.
Two years ago I was part of a conference sponsored by the Sierra Club with scientists on healing global warming. After the three of us made our contributions, in walked Joanna Macy who had just celebrated her 90th birthday. We gave her the mike and she exclaimed: “Isn’t it wonderful--and what a privilege it is to be alive today when such important matters are coming to a head?” Her enthusiasm encouraged us all.
I find this kind of energy and enthusiasm in Hildegard also. Come and join us for a deep and exciting course that can energize you for the journey ahead.
Expectantly,
Matthew Fox
You can sign up here: https://shiftnetwork.isrefer.com/go/shcMF/spiritua/
