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The Cosmic Vision of Hildegard of Bingen
Ecologist, The, Jan, 2000 by Stephanie Roth
God, then, made Creation and "saw that it was good." It was so good, in fact, that he wanted someone capable of admiring and appreciating it. This is when he created Man and why he endowed him with reason. But the ability to reason made Man desire to be wiser than God; to improve his already perfect situation. Gaining this forbidden wisdom meant breaking a sacred agreement; Man did so, and still does. Christ, the Word of God, in "whom all things are made" was the living example of how to restrain evil forces and restore the sacred agreement between Man and God. This is the promise of Salvation; "on Earth as it is in Heaven".
Hildegard as Artist
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Hildegard's visions were also transcribed into visual art, in the mandalas and pictures she created. Central to their understanding is the idea of a 'cosmic equilibrium' as embedded in Genesis. In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth, separated light from darkness, Earth from water, man from woman -- and he saw that it was good. It was good because it worked, and it worked because, in their natural and eternal alliance, opposites are drawn to the Centre.
Their descriptive relation to this 'Centre' is most easily represented by two crosses; one diagonal and one upright (see diagram, left). According to the cosmologists of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the eternal characteristics of the world -- the four elements (fire, air, water and earth), with the corresponding four temperaments (choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic); and the four qualities (dry, hot, wet and cold) with the corresponding seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) -- meet in one cross.
Thus to the Church Fathers, the divine nature of Christ, the Incarnation was already a sacrifice. In its self-lowering, the divine nature took upon itself the cross of the world that is compounded by opposites. The actual crucifixion appears as the inevitable outward result of the Incarnation; and at the same time the inward victory over it. [5]
All of Hildegard's visionary compositions embrace the concept of 'cosmic law', but the Liber Divinorum Operum (Book of Divine Works) does so best. The colour circles and animals, framing the mandalas, symbolise God's eternal order, and their attributed qualities match the cosmic law. A circle of luminous red represents fire. It embraces all others and illuminates them. The following symbolises Black fire for the punishment of evildoers. The next is ether, indicating pure atonement. Beneath comes a zone of watery air, symbolising the holy works of righteous individuals. It represents water. Closest to the centre is a sphere of clear air; indicating moderation. The centre represents the element of earth.
The animal heads, representing the characters which match the elements, [6] uphold the equilibrium by their breathing. "It is these winds which keep the universe in balance... and which keep human beings aware of salvation." [7] "All six circles are bound to each other... If the divine had not strengthened them through such an association, the firmament would come apart and have no stability." [8]
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