Experiencing Hildegard: Jungian Perspectives

In Experiencing Hildegard, Avis Clendenen synthesizes the spirituality of Hildegard of Bingen into a fresh combination with insights from Jungian depth psychology--particularly that of the unconscious and the soul's reality. Hildegard lives in these pages, not only through the superb analysis of a woman living in a turbulent and changing time, but also in an affirmation of Hildegard's deep trust of the soul's potential to change individuals and their culture. Hildegard emerges as a woman deeply immersed in a rich inner life creatively expressed in many forms. In particular, she is seen as a woman of the past, caught between a patriarchal institution and her recognition of the divinity of all creation and of the feminine. She thus anticipates by many centuries the anguish of our time. The domains of eco-feminism, spirituality (both ecclesial and secular), and the natural religiosity of the psyche are all enriched by the synthetic consciousness evident in this work. The psychology-theology interface is a contemporary necessity, and this volume in particular will be warmly welcomed by clinicians, spiritual directors, artists and musicians, the Hildegard readership, and the general searching public.… (more)