Hildegard von Bingen Retreat

Informative, experiental, transformative

with Noirin Ni Riain, Lucia Guerin & Richenda Barrett

For some time now, we have been nudged to share our wisdom and novel reflections on the German medieval mystic, Hildegard Von Bingen, particularly from the Irish perspective.

Over several trio conversations, we decided to present a once-off day-long workshop which will be both informative but highly experiential and transformative.

We are inviting in everyone, male, female, believer and non-believer alike to share our enthusiasm about one of the most important if not THE most important woman to have ever walked this planet.

You will go away after this day with a very rich understanding of one of the world's greatest ever mystics whose wisdom is greatly needed and so relevant for today's troubled world.

During the course of this day, you will experience three very special, yet interconnected, perspectives on this Sybil of the Rhine, as she was called, by Nóirín, Lucia and Richenda. This trio have worked meticulously to create together a unique experience which promises to be a transformative day in your life.

Do sign up speedily because our space is very limited and when you do, we shall be sending you further information about what to bring etc.

Ag tnúth go mór le do láithreacht – So looking forward to your presence and wisdom among us.

• Saturday 6th July
• Glenstal Abbey
• 10am - 5pm
• Lunch included
• Cost: €90  **** EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT OF 15% IF BOOKED BEFORE 23RD JUNE 2024 

Hildegard the musician

by Noirin Ni Riain

Hildegard has been a constant, steady presence in my life since 1982 when I was first introduced to her by theologian and friend, Matthew Fox.

Her hymns and chants became an obsession and part of my spiritual repertoire. I have played the lead role, Anima, in her morality play Ordo Virtutem and sung her songs at many medieval music festivals in Europe and the States.

Hildegard's chant is wild and totally surprising, much more akin to our deep Sean-Nós tradition than to that of Gregorian chant. This is not surprising since the monastery that she entered as a very young girl was founded by an Irish saint, Disibod.

I shall be sharing - and teaching you too - some elements of this unique repertoire of praise which is - through the listening and singing - a profound form of spiritual healing and presence.

Hildegard the Visonary

Hildegard was a prolific creative, divinely inspired to create many works across several disciplines. In today’s world, where niching down is the primary aim of specialists, Hildegard would be considered an anomaly. Her visions were her way of downloading the divine messages which she received via different mediums to present to her followers. Today we can relish with delight, as the efforts she made to document and record her messages are there for us to pour over.

Hildegard used her divine musings to oversee the creation of elaborate illustrations to communicate a pictorial representation of her discoveries. The tool she used to deliver this information was the mandala.  The circular shape of the mandala allowed the conscious mind to be set aside and the sacred musings to come through. Join us as we .take an opportunity to delve into one of her visions as inspiration for our own development.

Hildegard the Poet

Hildegard was a prolific creator and has written numerous songs, prayers and poems.

These works are all mystical, observational, estatic and always in praise of the divine. In her poetry we see the divine expressed through nature, through the holy spirit, through the feminine.

My first introduction to the poetry of Hildegard was in 2010. In a workshop dedicated to the spoken word, we were asked to choose a poem that touched us. This poem seemed to jump out to me from the page and it is through speaking it, feeling it, hearing it that I am transformed.

In this workshop, we will explore some of Hildegard's poetry and see how themes in her work can be found in modern poets such as Mary Oliver and Seamus Heaney. 

This will be a participative experience where you are invited to explore your own voice through the words and imagery found in these poetic works.

Song to the Creator

You, all-accomplishing
Word of the Father,
are the light of primordial
daybreak over the spheres.
You, the foreknowing
mind of divinity,
foresaw all your works
as you willed them,
your prescience hidden
in the heart of your power,
your power like a wheel around the world,
whose circling never began
and never slides to an end.

translated by Barbara Newman

Antiphon for the Holy Spirit 

The Spirit of God
is a life that bestows life,
root of world-tree
and wind in its boughs.

Scrubbing out sin,
she rubs oil into wounds.

She is glistening life
alluring all praise,
all-awakening,
all-resurrecting.

translated by Barbara Newman

Again I am in turmoil.

Should I speak, or must I be silent?
I feel like a gnarled old tree, withered and crooked and flaky.
All the stories of the years are written on my branches.
The sap is gone, the voice is dead.

But I long to make again a sacred sound.
I want to sound out God
I want to be a young juicy, sap-running tree
So that I can sing God as God knows how.

O God, you gentle viridity
O Mary, honeycomb of life
O Jesus, hidden in sweetness as flowing honey,
Release my voice again.

I have sweetness to share.
I have stories to tell.
I have God to announce.
I have green life to celebrate.
I have rivers of fire to ignite.
--Hildegard von Bingen

I am the one whose praise echoes on high

I am the one whose praise echoes on high.
I am the one whose praise echoes on high.
I adorn all the earth.
I am the breeze that nurtures all things green.
I encourage blossoms to flourish with ripening fruits.
I am led by the spirit to feed the purest streams.
I am the rain coming from the dew
That causes the grasses to laugh with the joy of life.
I am the yearning for good.

--Hildegard von Bingen

Cancellation Policy

If a person books a place on the workshop, pays and then can’t attend –
2 week's notice – we offer a full refund or transfer their deposit to another workshop.
1 week notice – we offer a 50% refund or transfer their deposit to another workshop.
Less than 1 week notice – no refund but we can transfer their deposit to another workshop