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Pause for a moment and listen within? What do you hear within your heart as a longing or yearning that’s calling to you right now? Your heart has a wisdom that’ll guide you on your path. Picture it as a type of a roadmap that keeps steering you back to what you’re being called to do, if you start to wander astray.  The yearning you feel or the call you hear to do something, to create something, is the voice of this divine wisdom. You’re meant to manifest whatever’s calling to you now and offer it as one of your gifts to the world. That’s why it continues to tug at your heart! “Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.” – Rumi St. Hildegard heard a strong calling in her life at the age of 42 that still inspires me today. This is when she experienced a powerful vision, unlike anything she had experienced in the past. Later she wrote about it and described how she suddenly gained great wisdom in this vision, a deeper, spiritual understanding that she’d not had before. And soon after this vision, she heard a voice speak to her, telling her to share, through writing and speaking, what she had experienced in all her visions.  Even though St. Hildegard felt like she had received a divine message, she didn’t feel confident in this task of writing down her experience of these visions. She doubted herself and felt insecure. It was with the help of her dear friends and receiving support from her abbot Kuno at Disibodenberg that she began to feel confident enough to begin writing the first of her major works, Scivias. Her two close friends, Volmar, a dear teacher and mentor, and Richardis, a close friend and nun at the monastery at Disibodenberg, helped her begin this project. Together they worked out a system where St. Hildegard wrote what she had seen and heard in her visions in Latin, then Richardis corrected her grammar. Finally, Volmar copied a final version neatly on parchment and then illuminations of the visions were painted. And so, she got started on what became a 10-year endeavor on this divine calling! But, it wasn’t smooth sailing necessarily. At one point, while writing, her insecurity led her to question whether she should continue. Would anyone believe her? Would anyone be interested in what she shared? Would they think she was insane? She felt that the work she was doing was necessary due to the failings of the Church at that time. She believed the Church had neglected the scriptures and had not taught the people how to live a life of faith in God. And now, as a woman, she needed to share what she was hearing and seeing in her visions. But she wondered, would anyone listen? This time, she sought advice from the monk Bernard of Clairvaux who encouraged her to continue and interceded on her behalf with the pope. After reading some of her writing, the pope felt that St. Hildegard’s work was divinely inspired and gave his approval. He encouraged her to continue writing and to speak publicly. Here is an image of a map of St. Hildegard's four preaching journies.  And because St. Hildegard persevered, we have the great gifts of her writing as a woman of the 12th century. She followed the wisdom of her heart that kept leading her back to her purpose and path. With the support of those close to her in the community, she was able to move through many obstacles that she encountered, including her own self-doubt. What an inspiration to all of us today!
“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” -Rumi Looking for a supportive community to cheer you on as you respond to the longing within your heart? Join me in my upcoming course, "Master Your Creativity"!
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What are you being called to do in your life right now? Does it make you feel nervous or afraid? Are you not feeling confident enough to move forward? Maybe you feel frozen and can’t move forward. Or maybe you ignore the call because it’ll be too much work or you think it’ll seem strange to others.  I know I’ve felt a little like this at times. I’ve even felt a lot like this at times! I can doubt myself. I wonder if anyone will be interested in what I feel called to share. I wonder if what I share will be received openly by others. When I have these moments of self-doubt, I call upon St. Hildegard as a guide. Through the stories of her life, she inspires me to find my courage, strength, and self-confidence. Discover how to release any fear and blocks that are holding you back from following your calling and step into the courage to say yes and take steps forward. Join my upcoming free webinar and a supportive group encouraging you on your path. Join here! St. Hildegard encountered a major turning point in her life when she was 42 years old. She experienced a vision that was unlike anything she had experienced before. She described it later in detail in Scivias, “…heaven was opened and a fiery light of exceeding brilliance came and permeated my whole brain, and inflamed my whole heart and my whole breast, not like a burning but like a warming flame, as the sun warms anything its rays touch….” She continued and described how suddenly she gained wisdom, a deeper understanding of specific scriptures that she had not had before. And soon she heard a voice speak to her, telling her to share, through writing and speaking, what she had experienced in her visions.  This was the most powerful vision she had experienced in her life so far. She felt she was being directed to share her experiences so that others could learn from her. However, St. Hildegard didn’t feel up to the task. She doubted herself. She felt insecure and inadequate for the task. She soon became very ill. She had suffered from many illnesses in her life, often so ill that she could not rise from her bed. So, this was not unusual for her. However, this time, she interpreted her illness as a sign from God, displeased with her lack of action in responding to the call to share her visions. She consulted with her dear friend, Volmar, who committed to helping her. With his support, the permission of Abbot Cuno (the abbot overseeing her work), and also the encouragement of another dear friend, the nun Richardis, she began working on Scivias, the first of three major works. It was a first step for St. Hildegard in her launch into creative production that was uncommon among the women and even men of her time. We can see that St. Hildegard was able to overcome the obstacles she encountered including severe illness, move through her self-doubts with the support of the immediate community around her, and continue forward to follow her divine calling.  These are the moments in St. Hildegard’s life that I call upon when self-doubt seems to plague me. I picture the strength and courage she had to have to work through the obstacles of her time and her own self-doubt.
And look at the brilliant work she created, as a result! With St. Hildegard at my side, I know I can take my next step forward – if she could do it years ago, I can now! And so can you! If you are interested in learning how to release the fear and blocks that are holding you back from following your calling, check out my upcoming webinar. You’ll learn how to step into the courage to say yes and move forward. You’ll also be a part of a supportive group encouraging you on your path. Register for the Free Webinar here. Do you have easy access to the light that shines within you, your inner guidance? Are you able to understand and follow your inner guidance consistently so that you’re on your path to become your higher self? If so, great! I’m so happy for you! If not, you’re not alone. Do you struggle discerning what’s your inner, high guidance and what’s your inner critic? Or do you feel like the connection to your inner guidance has gotten dusty, covered in cobwebs? Check out my upcoming webinar where we’ll explore the wisdom of St. Hildegard for inspiration as you discover how to access your inner guidance even if you haven’t in a while!  You can think of your inner guidance as the voice of your highest self, your True Self. It’s the wise, divine aspect of yourself that shines with bright light and rises above your emotions, fears, and pressures you feel in a moment. Your inner guidance can support you in a present situation or it can help you reflect on a past experience or guide you on your next steps into the future. When you’re open to listening and uncovering the voice of your higher self, you open the channel to allow your inner guidance to share with you. Then you begin showing up as the best version of yourself! As you know, I’ve always been inspired by St. Hildegard and her courage to follow her inner guidance to share her visions with the world. She felt that they were divinely inspired. Yet, she often doubted herself and her abilities. She had no formal education, and, as a result, she considered herself unlearned and unworthy. She felt insecure and inadequate.  We know that she had a good confidant and friend in her life, the monk Volmar, that supported her in following her divine calling, even when she felt incapable of doing so at times. It was Volmar who was the first person to validate her visions as divine experiences. He soon recognized her rare spiritual gifts and became a good friend and mentor for many years in her life. Over the next 10 years, she shared her experiences in the text that would become her visionary work, Scivias. Volmar became her secretary, writing down the words she dictated. It’s clear that St. Hildegard greatly valued and appreciated her dear friend and mentor, Volmar, who supported and encouraged her. She was not alone in navigating the unprecedented path for a woman to share her visions with the public. Such an inspiration to us today! St. Hildegard shows us that uncovering the voice of your True Self and following your inner guidance is a little easier when you have the support of someone in your community who encourages you. We don’t have to do it alone! When you join with others who also are striving to follow their inner guidance, you open the door to a higher vibration or higher state of being. You’ll feel lighter, happier and more at ease. You’ll be clearer on your life’s work and how you can contribute to positive change in the world  Interested in discovering how to more easily access your inner guidance regularly?
I’d love to have you join my upcoming webinar where we’ll explore the wisdom of St. Hildegard as you discover how to access your inner guidance even if you haven’t in a while! Check it out here. |
About JeannineI was born in London, England, educated in Switzerland, and am fluent in English, German, Spanish, and French. I hold a Doctorate in Ministry Degree and Masters Degrees in Counseling Psychology and Education. Also, I am an accomplished artist and educator. I use all of this and much more when helping others heal their souls. Archives
November 2022
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