Podcast 59: St. Hildegard Von Bingen: Healing, Vision, and Song

In this episode of Two Crones and a Microphone, we dive into the remarkable life and teachings of Saint Hildegard of Bingen—a mystic, herbalist, composer, and earth-lover who lived nearly 1,000 years ago... and still has plenty to say.

Betty shares her lifelong connection to Hildegard and how her healing work, music, visions, and ecological wisdom resonate today. We talk about crystals, herbs, divine energy, sacred music, and why singing might just be the most subversive spiritual act you can take right now.

Whether you're a seeker, a healer, or just Hildegard-curious, this one’s for you.

Subscribe, comment, and share! We’d love to hear your stories and how Hildegard speaks to you.

Listen at twocronesandamicrophone.com

Read Physica, her classic guide to healing plants, stones, herbs, and more, translated by Priscilla Throop: https://archive.org/details/hildegardvonbing0000hild

Transcript

Two Crones and a Microphone
Episode: Hildegard of Bingen — Healing, Vision, and Song

SALLY:
Hello and welcome to Two Crones and a Microphone. I’m Sally.

BETTY:
And I’m Betty.

SALLY:
We’re cultural midwives. This podcast is about shared wisdom, storytelling, and the lived experience of us—as seasoned crones—and our guests. Whether you’re seeking a deeper connection to the world or just a good dose of perspective, you’re in the right place.

So pour a cup of something warm, pull up a chair, and settle in. It’s time for real talk about how we live, how we heal, and how we show up when the world feels like it’s on fire.

BETTY:
Subscribe now and join the conversation on social media—we're building something ancient and something new, one story at a time. This episode is part of our theme focusing on Earth, and today, we’re interviewing someone very close to the podcast: me! I’ll be talking about one of my greatest spiritual influences—Saint Hildegard of Bingen.

SALLY:
You’ve heard of saints who loved animals, like Francis. But Hildegard? She was a mystic, composer, herbalist, visionary, and earth advocate—a thousand years ahead of her time. Born in 1098 in what’s now Germany, Hildegard was a Benedictine abbess who lived to be 81, unheard of at the time. She’s one of only four women named a Doctor of the Catholic Church—meaning her teachings are officially recognized for their spiritual and intellectual significance.

BETTY:
And that’s not just a ceremonial title. Her writings are still read and studied for insight into spiritual growth, healing, ecology, and the divine feminine. She saw the world as deeply interconnected—earth, body, spirit, cosmos. And she lived it.

SALLY:
So Betty, when did Hildegard first catch your attention?

BETTY:
Honestly, I think it was during my PhD research. I came across this woman who seemed to do it all—visionary, musician, painter, herbalist, spiritual healer. Her work has survived for nearly a thousand years and is still relevant. That blew my mind. And I just kept digging.

SALLY:
She really is like a medieval Da Vinci—only with more singing and fewer mustaches.

BETTY:
Exactly! And she wasn’t just talented—she counseled popes and common people alike. She wasn’t elitist. She laid hands, she grew herbs, she wrote music that’s still sung today.

SALLY:
Let’s talk about how she became a nun. I understand she had visions as a child?

BETTY:
Yes. Her first recorded visions happened around age eight, though they likely started earlier. Her family, devout and wealthy, sent her to the monastery—partly to protect her, since visions were often misunderstood as demonic. It was also common then to "tithe" a child to the church. She was mentored by Jutta, a nun who taught her to read, write, chant, and pray.

When Jutta died, Hildegard became abbess and brought a gentler, more joyful spirituality. She believed the body was a gift from God—not to be punished, but cared for. She let the nuns sing, play games, dress up occasionally. She believed joy was holy.

SALLY:
She was radically ahead of her time. And her connection to the earth seems central, too.

BETTY:
Absolutely. She believed we weren’t just using the earth—we were of it. She wrote about being connected to trees, animals, wind, even the stars. Her theology was ecological before that word existed.

SALLY:
And she painted her visions?

BETTY:
Yes! She had a lifelong scribe, a priest who encouraged her to write everything down. In her 40s, she received a divine message that her visions needed to be recorded. Her output was massive—letters, hymns, medicinal texts, theology, even a morality play.

SALLY:
She even went on speaking tours!

BETTY:
Can you imagine? A 12th-century nun going on tour. But she had authority—three popes respected her, and she had real moral courage. At 75, she and her convent were punished—no Communion, no singing—because she buried a soldier on consecrated ground. They said he died in sin, but Hildegard insisted he had confessed. She refused to move the body and fought until they lifted the sanction. That’s who she was.

SALLY:
Let’s shift to her healing work—what most people know her for today.

BETTY:
She wrote Physica, a healing text covering herbs, stones, trees, elements, fish, birds, even reptiles. She claimed her knowledge came from divine inspiration. And here’s what’s wild: a lot of what she wrote aligns with what we use today.

SALLY:
Give us examples.

BETTY:
Amethyst—she said it supported spiritual clarity, headaches, and protection. Emerald—for eyesight and memory. Onyx—for stress and shielding. She described red jasper for circulation and green for digestion—things we still associate with those stones today.

SALLY:
Sounds a lot like what Oceana taught us.

BETTY:
Right? Letting the stone speak to you. Hildegard’s herbal wisdom was just as spot-on. She used rose for digestion and grief, St. John’s wort for melancholy, fennel for colic, chamomile for soothing the skin and nerves, lavender for headaches and rest.

SALLY:
And she laid hands on people too?

BETTY:
Yes. Herbs, stones, song, touch, prayer—it was all part of healing. And let me just say for anyone skeptical: this is a Doctor of the Church. The same institution that canonized her supports her methods.

SALLY:
It’s beautiful. And fascinating to see how much her wisdom aligns with Indigenous practices here on Turtle Island.

BETTY:
Yes! That cross-cultural resonance really struck me too.

SALLY:
So for folks who want to explore more, where should they start?

BETTY:
Start with Physica—translated by Priscilla Throop. You can also find beautiful recordings of her music on Spotify. And check out the documentary The Unruly Mystic: Saint Hildegard, which includes interviews with theologians, healers, and the current abbess of her order. And yes—there’s even a new historical novel called The Seeds of Hildegard by Gary McAvoy.

SALLY:
Incredible. To close, we want to leave you with two quotes from Hildegard, offered as wisdom practices:

“Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of Earth’s greening. Now think—what delight God gives to humankind with all these things… The Earth which sustains humanity must not be injured; it must not be destroyed.”

And:

“Sing the song of rejoicing. Singing softens hearts, summons the Holy Spirit, and lends the faithful to harmony without discord. So don’t stop singing.”

BETTY:
Don’t stop singing.

SALLY:
Don’t stop. Even if you think you can’t carry a tune—sing anyway.

And remember our four pillars: the wisdom of Oshana, our shared life as crones, the insights of our guests, and your voices, which shape this community.

BETTY:
We’ll post some of the resources we mentioned on our website, twocronesandamicrophone.com. And if you’d like to support the podcast, consider becoming a patron. We’ll send you monthly downloads—quotes, practices, and little goodies we think you’ll love.

SALLY:
We’re also teaching classes through MinervaEd.com. And as always, share this with someone who needs it. Tell people about Hildegard. A thousand years later, she’s still walking with us.

BETTY:
And remember: walk in beauty. Stay in balance.

SALLY:
And as Linda always reminds us: seek your glimmer.

TOGETHER:
Kaydeeshday.