Saint Hildegard of Bingen: Visions, Herbs and the Living Green of Creation
- Fiach OBroin-Molloy
- 7 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
There are saints whose stories seem to belong among stone churches, candlelight and ancient books. Saint Hildegard of Bingen belongs there too—but she also seems entirely at home in a garden.
Her world was alive with herbs and healing plants, birdsong and flowing water, music, colour and the changing seasons. She saw creation not as something separate from the spiritual life, but as a living expression of God’s goodness: a world filled with meaning, vitality and sacred purpose.
Born in Germany in 1098, Hildegard became a Benedictine abbess, writer, composer, theologian, healer and visionary. At a time when few women were given a public voice, she corresponded with popes, emperors and church leaders, preached publicly and wrote extensively about faith, the natural world, medicine and the human soul.
Yet perhaps the idea most closely associated with Hildegard is contained in one unusual Latin word:
Viriditas.
Often translated as “greenness,” “green vitality” or “the greening power of God,” it describes something deeper than the colour of leaves. For Hildegard, the living energy that causes plants to grow, trees to bud and the earth to renew itself reflected the life-giving presence of God.
The Greening Power of God
Anyone who keeps a garden—or watches bees closely—will recognise something of this mystery.
For months, winter can make the earth appear empty. Branches stand bare. Seeds lie unseen beneath cold soil. The garden seems still.
Then, almost imperceptibly, life returns.
Tiny shoots rise through the ground. Buds swell along branches. The first flowers open, and bees emerge to gather pollen and nectar once again.
Nothing has been hurried, yet everything has been preparing.
Hildegard saw this renewing force throughout creation. The greenness of the earth was not merely useful or beautiful; it was a sign of divine life flowing through the world.
She also used the image of greenness when writing about the human soul. A person could become spiritually dry or weary, but through prayer, grace and renewed relationship with God, life might begin to grow again.
Like a garden after winter, the soul could become green.
A Saint of Visions
Hildegard experienced unusual visions from childhood.
She did not describe them as dreams or trances. Instead, she wrote of perceiving them while fully awake, often within what she called “the reflection of the living Light.”
For many years, she spoke little about these experiences. She was cautious and uncertain about sharing them. Later in life, however, she believed she was being called to record what she had seen.
Her first major work, Scivias—meaning “Know the Ways”—brought together her visions and reflections on creation, salvation and the life of faith.
The surviving illustrations associated with her writings are extraordinary: circles of light, stars, flames, living figures and a universe held within divine order. They present creation as interconnected and purposeful, with humanity belonging within it rather than standing apart from it.
Hildegard’s spirituality was expansive. Heaven and earth, body and soul, prayer and work, music and nature were all part of one sacred story.
Herbs, Healing and the Natural World
Hildegard also wrote about plants, trees, animals, stones and approaches to healing.
Some of her medical ideas belong firmly to the understanding of the medieval world and should not be treated as modern medical guidance. Yet her broader belief—that human wellbeing is connected with the natural world, nourishment, rest, balance and the health of the environment—continues to feel remarkably familiar.
She paid attention to the particular qualities of plants. Herbs were not simply background greenery. Each had its own character, purpose and place within creation.
This attentive way of seeing feels valuable today.
Many of us move through the natural world quickly. We recognise a garden without noticing its individual plants. We hear insects without stopping to identify them. We see flowers without considering the hidden relationships that allow them to bloom, set seed and return.
Hildegard invites us to look more closely.
A patch of thyme flowering beside a path may be a source of food for bees. A neglected corner of long grass may shelter countless small lives. A hedgerow may be a place of blossom, refuge and abundance.
Creation becomes more wondrous when we learn to notice it.
Hildegard, Bees and the Shared Life of Creation
Although Saint Hildegard is not usually known as a patron saint of beekeepers, bees fit naturally within the world she described.
A honeybee colony depends upon relationship.
Thousands of bees work together, gathering from the wider landscape and bringing its many small offerings home. The life of the hive is connected to blossom, weather, soil, water and season. No part exists entirely alone.
Watching bees changes the way we see a landscape.
A flowering tree is no longer simply beautiful. It may be food for an entire colony. Clover in a lawn becomes a small pasture. Ivy flowering quietly at the end of the year may provide one of the final important sources of nectar before winter.
The hive reveals connections that were always present.
There is something of viriditas here: life flowing through creation, carried from flower to flower, continually renewing what surrounds it.
Honey itself holds something of the landscape within it. Its colour and flavour are shaped by the flowers visited by the bees and by the particular season in which it was gathered.
Each jar is, in a small way, a record of place and time.
Music for the Soul
Hildegard believed music could help restore harmony to the human soul.
She composed a remarkable body of sacred music, much of it written for the women of her religious community. Her melodies often rise and move in unexpected ways, reaching beyond the narrower musical patterns common in her time.
Her songs praise Mary, the saints, the Church and the beauty of divine wisdom. They are filled with images of light, growth, flowers and living fire.
For Hildegard, singing was more than decoration added to worship. Music was part of humanity’s response to God—a glimpse of the harmony for which creation was made.
Her work reminds us that prayer does not always need to begin with explanation.
Sometimes prayer begins with music.
Sometimes with silence.
Sometimes with a walk through a garden, the scent of herbs beneath our feet or the sound of bees moving among flowers.
When the Soul Feels Dry
Perhaps the image of viriditas matters most during difficult seasons.
There are times when faith feels abundant and prayer comes easily. There are also times when the inner landscape feels dry.
Grief, exhaustion, disappointment and uncertainty can make spiritual life seem quiet or distant. We may feel that nothing is growing.
The natural world teaches patience with these seasons.
Winter is not a failure of the garden.
A seed beneath the soil may appear inactive while hidden changes are taking place. A tree does not remain in blossom throughout the year. Rest, waiting and renewal all belong to the pattern of life.
Hildegard’s greening imagery offers hope without demanding immediate transformation.
New growth may begin quietly.
It may appear first as the smallest shoot: a brief prayer, a candle lit, a familiar psalm, a return to church, a walk outdoors or simply the willingness to begin again.
Grace does not always arrive dramatically.
Sometimes it grows.
A Prayer Inspired by Saint Hildegard
Living God,
You fill creation with beauty, renewal and life.
When our hearts feel weary, bring new growth.
Teach us to notice the quiet wonders around us:
the opening flower,
the returning bird,
the bee among the blossom,
and the seed growing unseen beneath the earth.
Help us to care gently for the world entrusted to us,
to recognise the sacred connections between all living things,
and to remember that no season lasts forever.
Through the prayers and example of Saint Hildegard,
may our lives become places of hope,
creativity,
wisdom
and renewed faith.
Amen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Saint Hildegard of Bingen?
Saint Hildegard of Bingen was a twelfth-century German Benedictine abbess, Christian mystic, writer, composer and visionary. She wrote about theology, music, the natural world and approaches to healing. She was declared a Doctor of the Church in 2012.
What does viriditas mean?
Viriditas is a Latin word often translated as “greenness,” “green vitality” or “the greening power of God.” Hildegard used it to express the life-giving energy visible in creation and the spiritual renewal possible within the human soul.
Is Saint Hildegard the patron saint of gardeners or beekeepers?
Saint Hildegard is often associated with herbalists, musicians, writers and those who study natural approaches to wellbeing. She is not traditionally regarded as a patron saint of beekeepers, although her spirituality of creation and interconnected life resonates naturally with gardening and beekeeping.
Why is Saint Hildegard called a mystic?
Hildegard experienced visions from childhood and later recorded many of them in theological works, including Scivias. Her visions explored God, creation, salvation and the relationship between humanity and the wider world.
When is the feast day of Saint Hildegard?
Saint Hildegard of Bingen is remembered on 17 September.
What can Saint Hildegard teach us today?
Her life encourages attentiveness to creation, creativity, courage, prayer and care for the world around us. Her image of spiritual “greenness” offers a gentle reminder that renewal remains possible, even after difficult or barren seasons.
Comments