The Hildegard of Bingen Tarot Spread

hildegard of bingen tarot spread

This morning, I have been listening to one of my favourite composers, Hildegard of Bingen, a medieval mystic, saint, prophet, creatrix, and holistic health care practitioner extraordinaire. Listening to the beautiful singing and contemplating the divine feminine, I pulled two cards for my daily draw and I was completely blown away by how it all tied in…

Hildegard’s presence has been keenly felt throughout the day, so I had to create a Tarot spread in her honour here on the blog today. Let’s face it, more of Hildegard’s ancient wisdom can only be a good thing in our topsy-turvy world! What amazes me the most is how current much of what she said 800 years ago feels very now, especially with regard to our relationship with Nature.

This is how I did I created my Hildegard-inspired Tarot spread:

  1. I searched for quotes by Hildegard and found a page with 60 of her quotes
  2. I used a random draw generator to choose six of them
  3. I allowed questions to arise in response to contemplating the quotes
  4. I intuitively arranged these questions into a spread pattern to tie it all together

You can, of course, use this method for creating a Tarot spread inspired by any favourite thought leader, writer or poet!

Hildegard Quotes

These are the quotes and their accompanying questions (in the order drawn):

Angels, living light most glorious! Beneath the Godhead in burning desire in the darkness and mystery of creation you look on the eye of your God never taking your fill: What glorious pleasures take shape within you! – What must I do to rekindle the Fire of Communion?

The Father, Who is Justice, is not without the Son or the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit, Who kindles the heart of the faithful, is not without the Father and the Son; and the Son, Who is the plenitude of fruition, is not without the Father or the Holy Spirit; they are inseparable in Divine Majesty. – How can I know God?

Holy persons draw to themselves all that is earthly. – How can I become a magnet for earthly abundance?

What I do not see I do not know. I see, hear and know simultaneously and learn what I know as if in a moment. – How can I trust myself?

We shall awaken from our dullness and rise vigorously toward justice. If we fall in love with creation deeper and deeper, we will respond to its endangerment with passion. – How may I serve as a good steward for all of creation (the mineral, plant and animal kingdoms)?

I am the fiery life of the essence of God; I am the flame above the beauty in the fields; I shine in the waters; I burn in the sun, the moon, and the stars. And with the airy wind, I quicken all things vitally by an unseen, all-sustaining life. – How can I embody Shekinah (The Divine Feminine)?

This is how I arranged the quotes into a Tarot spread:

the-hildegard-von-bingen-tarot-spread
  1. How can I trust myself? – I placed this at the heart of the Tarot spread because if we cannot trust ourselves, we cannot really do much else.
  2. How can I know God? – I placed this and the next question above because they deal with how I relate to Divinity.
  3. What must I do to rekindle the Fire of Communion?
  4. How can I embody Shekinah? – I placed this and the following two questions below because they deal with embodying the Goddess on Earth.
  5. How can I become a magnet for earthly abundance?
  6. How may I serve as a good steward for all of creation?

This is my Hildegard Tarot Spread sample reading:

hildegard of bingen tarot spread
  1. How can I trust myself? – Strength: It’s OK to be confident and powerful, as well as kind to myself and others.
  2. How can I know God? – Death: Through ego mortification. The little self must die away to make room for the Higher Self.
  3. What must I do to rekindle the Fire of Communion? – The Hierophant: Rely on tried and tested methods. Study St John of the Cross, Hildegard, St Francis, Theresa of Avila and other great saints. Seek out kindred spirits. Create a community if I cannot find one.
  4. How can I embody Shekinah? – The Lovers: By committing fully to my spiritual path and embodying the Beloved.
  5. How can I become a magnet for earthly abundance? – 2 of Pentacles: Expand into the physical realm and raise my ambitions for the sake of others if not for myself.
  6. How may I serve as a good steward for all of creation? – 4 of Pentacles: By obtaining only that which is truly useful on my path of service.

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Comments

  1. That’s a fascinating way to create a spread – a mix of the modern and the mystical that perfectly fits the whole concept 🙂 The spread brought the questions together in a clear and interesting way, and I loved the answers you received, too.

  2. Hildegard von Bingen, a great mystica. Thank you for bringing her under attention.
    My cards are
    1. Two of pentacles. When i experience joy
    2. The world. By not giving up on my search
    3.the hangend man. Search inside and trust what i find
    4. 2 of cups. By connecting with my soul
    5. The tower. This card is not clear to me in this position. Maybe by daring to be clear to others even of they don’t agree ?
    Or by changing my way of life drastically?
    6. The empress. By giving to others what is truly mine? By being creative?
    If you world want to shine Your light on this, Lisa, I would be gratefull.

    1. Author

      Hi Susann, in positions five and six you have The Tower (Mars) and The Empress (Venus). This tells me that when it comes to being a magnet for abundance, you need to harness your masculine qualities and when it comes to being a steward, you need to harness your feminine, nurturing qualities. The details of this will start crystallising if you are just mindful of this basic bit of info. Blessings, Lisa

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