Hildegard Von Bingen was the abbess & spiritual leader of 2 monasteries in Germany in the 1100’s. She was known as "The Sibyl of the Rhine," and was a visionary, a composer, a writer, an herbalist & an activist. She was a very influential speaker and traveled throughout northern Europe in the latter half of her life. At one point she was so critical of the Catholic hierarchy that the Prelate of Mainz (her immediate superior) imposed a year of silence upon her and the nuns cloistered under her care.

This sculpture is based on an illuminated manuscript illustrating an important turning point in her life which occurred when Hildegard was 42. She had a vivid & fiery vision (the first of many), which she then wrote down and interpreted herself. Allowing herself this creative expression not only resolved her mid-life crisis and improved her health (which had always been delicate) but also ultimately freed her from subservience to the men in power who wanted to dictate the course of her life. Hildegard always revered the creative power of the feminine, especially as it was embodied in the Virgin Mary, and wrote many of her most beautiful & haunting songs in her honor.