Hildegard: Reconciling Faith & Science
by Mary SharrattSeptember 17 marked the feast day of Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), the 12th century Benedictine abbess, composer, and Doctor of the Church.Saint Hildegard, that famously broad-minded polymath, also wrote the Western world’s first known description of the female orgasm:When a woman is making love with a man, a sense of heat in her brain, which brings forth with it sensual delight, communicates the taste of that delight during the act and summons forth the emission of the man’s seed. And when the seed has fallen into its place, that vehement heat descending from her...
Read MoreILLUMINATIONS in Paperback, Fall Author Events, and Virtual Tour!
Like billowing clouds, like the incessant gurgle of the brook, the longing of the spirit can never be stilled.–Hildegard von BingenDear Friends,I’ve had a very busy, productive summer.My novel ILLUMINATIONS: A NOVEL OF HILDEGARD VON BINGEN has won the 2013 Nautilis Gold Award: Better Books for a Better World.October 15, 2013, ILLUMINATIONS will be released in trade paperback. I think the cover is absolutely lovely!Be sure to catch my Virtual Book Tour, beginning in October, which features book giveaways, reviews, contests and more.I will also be visiting Minnesota for author...
Read MoreYoga & Writing: How Yoga Can Help Your Writing
Guest post by Stephanie Renée dos Santos Are you a writer? Novelist? Do you sit at a desk and computer, week after week, month after month, year after year? Any tightness or pain in your neck, shoulders, upper back, lower back, hips, or legs? A regular gentle Hatha Yoga practice with breath work can relieve and reverse these stressors, as stress in the body can inhibit creativity. When the body is relaxed, so are tensions of the mind, allowing imagination to flow freely. I am a writer and yoga guide and practice yoga daily to help my writing endeavors. My suggestion for writers to get...
Read MoreA Mother’s Day Gift from the Garden of Dreams
Guest Post by Carolyn Lee BoydFor the past century, the greatest gift that mothers have been giving their daughters is their dreams. Each generation has opened up new opportunities for the next and given their daughters the courage and confidence to make the most of them. If we think of what life in 1913 was like — when women could not vote or pursue most careers, domestic violence was to be suffered silently, constant child-bearing was expected, and women’s lives were repressed in so many ways — we understand how much each generation received from their mothers and then passed...
Read MoreCelebrating the Icy Mystery of Imbolc
Guest post by Carolyn Lee BoydImbolc is traditionally the celebration of the very first stirrings of life in the spring. In New England where I live, however, Imbolc is the season of ice. The fluffy December snowflakes have been shoveled into piles and compressed into a landscape of ice mountains and fields of solid, slippery whiteness. Ice dangles from the stark trees and clings to the sides of houses, stone walls, and lampposts. For many years I wished for an early spring and for the February ice to melt quickly, but now I think that an icy Imbolc has its own wisdom to ponder.Like...
Read MoreThe Soul is Symphonic: The Music of Hildegard von Bingen
Born in the Rhineland in present day Germany, Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179) was a visionary nun and polymath. She founded two monasteries, went on four preaching tours, and wrote nine books addressing both scientific and religious subjects, an unprecedented accomplishment for a 12th-century woman. Her prophecies earned her the title Sybil of the Rhine.Over eight centuries after her death, Hildegard was canonized in May 2012 and on October 7 was elevated to Doctor of the Church in October, a rare and solemn title reserved for theologians who have made a significant impact. Hildegard is...
Read MoreAbout Mary Sharratt
An American author living on the Silver Coast of Portugal, Mary Sharratt is on a mission to write women back into history. She is the author of Revelations and seven previous critically acclaimed novels, including Daughters of the Witching Hill, the Nautilus Award–winning Illuminations: A Novel of Hildegard von Bingen, The Dark Lady’s Mask: A Novel of Shakespeare’s Muse, and Ecstasy, about the life, loves, and music of Alma Mahler. When she is not writing, you can find her riding her beautiful Welsh mare.
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