Educated by Benedictine nuns, Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
became abbess of Rupertsberg at age 43, which she herself
founded.
Educated by Benedictine nuns, Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) became abbess of Rupertsberg at age 43, which she herself founded. She was a remarkable woman, a “first” in many fields. At a time when few women wrote, Hildegard produced major works of theology. She was a mystic, a composer, a poet, an artist, a diplomat and a respected scholar on a wide variety of subjects. She is the first composer whose biography is known. When few women were accorded respect, she was known for her wide influence with bishops, popes and kings. Hildegard remains a highly respected visionary, and recordings of her compositions are still enjoyed today by a wide variety of people.
In a sense she is a remarkably “modern woman,” even in our 21st Century. She used the curative powers of natural objects for healing, and wrote treatises about natural history and medicinal uses of plants, animals, trees and stones.
Hildegard said that “The earth is at the same time mother, she is mother of all that is natural, mother of all that is human. She is the mother of all, for contained in her are the seeds of all. Holy persons draw to themselves all that is earthly.”
Joni Mitchell said:
“Goin’ to get back to the land to set my soul free.
We are stardust, we are golden. We are 2 billion year old carbon,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden.”
As we say good-bye to our Welsh visitors, I am reminded that the Amelia Trust Farm where they come from is a charitable foundation that is in many ways a very large garden with the goal of:
“Providing a unique opportunity for individuals to gain a sense of personal value, self esteem, confidence, new knowledge, craft and social skills.”
Imagine walking along a path bordered by fountains, Celtic standing stones, pink-tinged abelia blooms, pomegranate branches, ripe crab apples … as the ferns bend beneath the heavenly bamboo, and delphinium leans its bright blue heads against the strong lemon tree trunk …Trays piled with watermelon slices are passed from hand to hand… Sunlight filters through the trees like shattered lemon glass. … Music is filling the garden from speakers that are disguised as boulders. … Imagine resting among redwood driftwood sculptures created by Robert Buckland while dining on platters of Monterey Bay rock cod and snapper that has been caught that very day … it has been steamed in foil pouches of mango salsa and lemon juice. Create your own fajita, garnished with shiskabobs of mixed fruit: pineapple, mango, melon and banana. Not to mention a dessert of do-it-yourself banana splits – always the most fun.
And then picture yourself staying late into the lambent night, laughing while warmed by a crackling fire, chatting under a silvery moon framed by fir trees filled with tiny lights that twinkle as a breeze dances in the branches.
This is the sendoff our recent visitors from Wales received, thanks to an amazing Gilroy benefactor who prefers to remain nameless. Helpers for this event included a gifted Gilroyan who once worked with a well-known gourmet chef, and one of Gilroy’s most talented composers. What better way to cap off Gilroy’s ten days with Paul, Bobby, Darrell, and Shem, along with their fearless chaperones Ann and Andrew? They flew home to Wales with memories of a backyard secret garden in Gilroy, memories that will slip softly into their hearts on starlit wing.
If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey toward the stars?
– G.K. Chesterton
