Voice Of The Living Light

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) would have been an extraordinary person in any age. But for a woman of the twelfth century her achievements were so exceptional that posterity has found it hard to take her measure. Barbara Newman, a premier Hildegard authority, brings major scholars together to present an accurate portrait of the Benedictine nun and her many contributions to twelfth-century religious, cultural, and intellectual life. Written by specialists in fields ranging from medieval theology to medicine to music, these essays offer an understanding of how one woman could transform so many of the traditions of the world in which she lived. Hildegard of Bingen was the only woman of her age accepted as an authoritative voice on Christian doctrine as well as the first woman permitted by the pope to write theological books. She was the author of the first known morality play; an artist of unusual talents; the most prolific chant composer of her era; and the first woman to write extensively on natural science and medicine, including sexuality as seen from a female perspective. She was the only woman of her time to preach openly to mixed audiences of clergy and laity, and the first saint whose biography includes a first-person memoir. Adding to the significance of this volume is the fact that Hildegard's oeuvre reflects the entire sweep of twelfth-century culture and society. Scholars and lay readers alike will find this collection a rich introduction to a remarkable figure and to her tumultuous world. With the commemoration of the 900th anniversary of Hildegard's birth in September 1998, the publication of Voice of the Living Light is especially welcome.

For a woman of the 12th century, Hildegard of Bingen's achievements were so exceptional that posterity has found it hard to take her measure. Hildegard authority Barbara Newman brings together major scholars to present an accurate portrait of the Benedictine nun and her many contributions to 12th-century religious, cultural, and intellectual life. 18 illustrations.

What greater gift could we give ourselves than to wake up and bring forward the Christ consciousness that dwells within. To become a living light. Indeed, every time we listen for the truth, we will find the light of Christ within. And there is nothing greater for us to uncover than this. For that’s the moment we’ll know there is truly nothing to fear. CONTENTS 1 THE FORCES OF ACTIVITY AND PASSIVITY | Searching Inside the Serenity Prayer and Finding God’s Will 2 MOBILITY IN RELAXATION | Could This be the Answer…to Everything? 3 SELF-CONFIDENCE | How Can We Get More? 4 DISCIPLINE | The Fine Art of Self-Discipline 5 BURIED BELIEFS | Really, How Bad Could they Be? 6 TRANSFERENCE VS. PROJECTION | The World is Our Mirror 7 FREE WILL | Why Doesn’t God Take Away Our Suffering? 8 SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT | Nourishing Ourselves with Truth 9 FORGIVENESS | One Tough Nut to Crack 10 THE FIVE STAGES OF LOVE | Insecure and In Love: Is this Even Possible? 11 ATHEISM | Where Does it Come From? 12 DENIAL | The Mind-Blowing Damage of Denying Our Darkness 13 MONEY & POLITICS | The Almighty vs. the Almighty Dollar: Which do we Trust? 14 SHAME | The Right and Wrong Kind 15 SHAME OF THE HIGHER SELF | We’re Ashamed of our Best Self. Crazy, Right? 16 NEGATIVE PLEASURE | The Link Between Pleasure and Cruelty 17 THE PAIN OF INJUSTICE | The Pain of Injustice and the Truth about Fairness 18 THE MASS IMAGE OF SELF-IMPORTANCE | The Folly of Needing to Feel Special 19 THE THREE STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT | The Movement Toward Giving 20 THE WALL WITHIN | Where, Really, is the Wall? 21 THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT | Who Runs the World? 22 FAITH VS. WORKS | Is it Really One or the Other? 23 EASTER | On Rising Again 24 CHRISTMAS | The Brilliant Message of Christmas Lights 25 THE VIRGIN MARY | What if Mary wasn’t—*gasp*—a Virgin? 26 THE CROSS | What is the Symbolism? 27 THE REAL MEANING OF MEEK | Meek vs. Mild: Which Delivers the Goods? 28 BAPTISM | Doing the Work vs. Dipping in Water: Which Saves More? 29 THE LIGHT | How Do we Uncover our Light?

A Living Light explores some of the major events in the life of Hildegard of Bingen: mystic, physician, composer, and one of the foremost intellectuals of the Middle Ages. In the form of a dramatic novella, it telescopes to such life-changing events as the courageous recording of her visions, the Church's acceptance of her accounts of prophetic experience, the formation of her own abbey, and the interdiction against her nuns for the burial of a revolutionary on holy ground. A story of character, spiritual doubt and achievement, kindness and resolve, and a life devoted to both faith and works, A Living Light adds to the growing volume and range of works, both scholarly and creative, addressing the influence of this extraordinary woman; it attests to the profound effects possible through the commitment of single, loving, creative individuals even in the most difficult and oppressive of times.

Titled for the influential singer left almost voiceless by a terrible syndrome, the poems bring sweet melodies and rhythms as the voices blend and become multitudinous. There’s an honoring of not only survival, but of persistence, as this part research-based, pensive collection contemplates what it takes to move forward when the unimaginable holds you back.

The first translation into English of the complete correspondence of the remarkable twelfth-century Benedictine abbess Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), this study consists of nearly four hundred letters, in four projected volumes. Addressed to some of the most notable people of the day, as well as to some of humble status, the correspondence reveals the saint in ways her more famous works leave obscure: as determined reformer, as castigating seer, as theoretical musician, as patient adviser, as exorcist. Sometimes diffident and restrained, sometimes thunderously imperious, her letters are indispensable to understanding fully this luminary of medieval philosophy, poetry, and music. In addition, they provide a fascinating glimpse at life in tumultuous twelfth-century Germany, beset with schism and political unrest. This first volume includes ninety letters to the highest ranking prelates in Hildegard's world--popes, archbishops, and bishops. Three following volumes will be divided according to the rank of the addressees.

This volume explores the extraordinary life and works of Hildegard of Bingen, medieval writer, composer, visionary, and monastic founder.

• Details the nine stages of the ancient Egyptian initiatory path, describing each stage’s powers as well as the culminating ceremony called “The Crown of Isis” • Provides profound guided meditations for each of the nine stages and illustrates the manifestation of this path’s principles through stories of awakening • Shares the author’s personal journey as a Garment of Isis and her own powerful interactions with Isis, which culminated in her serving as Oracle of Isis at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago in 1993 The Sacred Science of ancient Egypt was an initiatory spiritual system, a technology of consciousness designed to birth a mystical communion with the divinities, an embodied union of being between the eternal and the mortal. After initiation was completed, the re-identified being, now divinely possessed, was known as a Garment of Isis, signifying that the goddess Isis dwelt within them. Offering a practical guide to the key principles within the Egyptian temple tradition, Naomi Ozaniec explores the process of creating and developing a personal relationship with the Neteru, the divinities and forces of creation of ancient Egypt. She details the nine stages of this initiatory path, which are divided into three phases--heartmind, spiritmind, and soulmind. This step-by-step, interactive process culminates in a ceremony called The Crown of Isis. The author provides profound guided meditations and illustrates the manifestation of the initiate’s powers through stories of awakening brought on by this spiritual path. She also shares her personal journey as a Garment of Isis and her own powerful interactions with Isis. An accessible yet substantive guide to initiation into the Egyptian Mysteries, this book details how to gradually awaken and attune your mind to the symbolic, open access to higher realms of consciousness, and enter into a mystical marriage between personal and divine consciousness.

Christianity is the world’s most populous religion, with some two billion adherents. As a world religion, Christianity has flourished because it is capable of taking on new forms in new contexts. To understand both the religion’s history and its present state, Mary Gerhart and Fabian Udoh gather original texts—from early Christian writings to contemporary documents on church-related issues—in The Christianity Reader. The most comprehensive anthology of Christian texts ever in English, this is a landmark sourcebook for the study of Christianity’s historical diversity. With newly edited, annotated, and translated primary texts, along with supplemental analytical essays, the volume allows Christianity, at long last, to speak in its many voices. Focusing on Christianity as a religion, Gerhart and Udoh select texts that illuminate issues such as theology, mysticism, and ritual, while also articulating the stories of previously marginalized groups, as well as those in new and growing epicenters of the religion. With nearly three hundred selections, the texts encompass the entire history of Christian writings excluding the New Testament, from Justin Martyr and Tertullian to Fabien Eboussi Boulaga and Teresa of Calcutta. Eight thematic sections cover biblical traditions and interpretations; early influences; nascent forms; patterns of worship; structures of community; philosophy, theology, and mysticism; twentieth-century issues and challenges; and the contemporary relationship between Christianity and other world religions. The Reader’s contents are arranged chronologically and are supported with introductions and source notes that explain the rationale for their inclusion and their context. Providing a far richer selection than ever before available in a single volume, The Christianity Reader will be welcomed as both a classroom resource and a work of reference for decades to come.