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| Annette Esser, Hildegard Sculpture |
Who is she and who are we? And why?
Hildegard of Bingen in Germany was a 12th Century Benedictine Abbess, whose life and works have become widely known in the U.S. only in the last few decades. A visionary and a mystic, she recorded her vast knowledge of everything, and I do mean everything. Her major work is Scivias, in English, "Know the Ways." There is much to know about her and her vast writings, illuminations, and compositions, far more than I can explain here. The Scivias Institute is a good place to begin, and I encourage you to research her life and work on your own.
We were drawn, as pilgrims and seekers, to explore the Hildegard Way, by her spirituality that she found embedded in Veriditas, which is a profound understanding of the healing power of the green world:
You, most noble green, whose roots lie in the sun and whose serene, bright splendor shines in a circle, incomprehensible by any earthly sense, no matter how exquisite. You are embraced by the great embrace of divine mysteries. Like the dawn, you shine and glow like the sun's fire. You are embraced by the great embrace of divine mysteries. Hildegard of Bingen: O Nobilissima Viriditas.
Wanting to walk in her footsteps, physically and symbolically, we began our journey on September 8, 2025, flying into Frankfurt and driving to Bingen. Our pilgrimage ended on September 18, as we returned to the U.S. Our pilgrimage far exceeded our expectations for spiritual healing and renewal. Although, let me be clear, we also found time for laughter and companionship, and discussions, and even a little dancing.
I am chronicling our journey for us, the pilgrims and for anyone who would like to trace that journey with us.
We are:
The two grieving widows in the title:
Kay: The author of this blog. My husband, Doug, died in August of 2024, after a three-year struggle with blood cancers and failing memory. We had been married for 33 years. I am a retired English Professor as well as a retired Episcopal priest. Doug was 87.
Joan: I call Joan my cousin. In fact, she was married to Doug's cousin, Chris. Chris, had been living with few years, and enjoying fairly good health thanks to his treatments. In November, he became weak and had difficulty breathing. He died just before he was to enter hospice care. Chris was 69. Joan is a meteorologist, well known in her field.
The four of us enjoyed the company of one another. We often met for breakfasts at The Walnut Cafe in Boulder. We loved especially going to Evensong at St. John's with dinner afterward. We were Shakespeare aficionados, and went to the festival in Boulder together.
The friend is:
Mary: When our tour was canceled (see below), Joan invited Mary along. It was my first time to meet her. Mary is a volunteer coordinator for the city. Mary plays the Morin Khuur (Horsehead Fiddle) with the Mongolian group, Ajnai.
In mid winter, Joan and I had signed up for the tour, Walking in Hildegard's Footsteps, to take place the following fall of this year. We were swimming in sorrow, taking care of all the details following the death of a loved one, and wondering how and when our lives would have meaning, and actually, what that meaning would be. I knew about the Hildegard tour from my neighbors, who were sponsoring it, and I had known about Hildegard's music since the 1970s. We wanted to travel together, because that was one more thing the four of us had in common: a love of travel and new places. But we didn't want a vacation. What we wanted--and needed--was a pilgrimage.
We signed up.
Then, in June, we got the word. The tour was canceled for lack of participants. Joan texted: "Let's do a self-guided tour." I was a bit reluctant, so she asked Mary to go with her. Then I decided I would go, too. And, for the first time in a long while, we began to feel excited about our future.
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