Hildegard Quote

We cannot live in a world that is not our own, in a world that is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening, to use our own voice, to see our own light.

Hildegard of Bingen

I mean, immediately I read it I felt that the language sounded too modern. 

My suspicions were confirmed:

"Thank you Morgana Morgaine for solving the mystery of whence came the unlikely Hildegard quote about an interpreted world. At least you attributed it correctly in your book. I checked vol. 21 Fall 1991 Gnosis as Nathaniel suggested, and the quote is indeed from the last paragraph of Elaine Bellezza's article entitled "Hildegard of Bingen, Warrior of Light". The byline says that "Elaine Bellezza is a free-lance artist and writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area." The article is a dramatic view on individuation as a holy war (the topic of the magazine issue) with Hildegard as example of the process and using quotes from Rilke and Jung. Here is the entire final paragraph:

"We often look to someone like Hildegard or to other great people throughout the ages as if what they have is not ours to have; we admire them, honor them, study them. We want to make use of them, and we allow them to consummate our inner light for us. We allow them to be the still point of our turning world. We feel incapable, yet the world wants to infuse us and to be infused by us. At that point no one can help us, not angels, not men, not Hildegard, not Jung, not Rilke. We cannot live securely in a world which is not our own, in a world which is interpreted for us by others. An interpreted world is not a home. Part of the terror is to take back our own listening, to put our ears to our own inner voices, to see our own light, which is our birthright, and comes to us in silence."

So the quote is taken out of context from an inspirational manifesto, and it was clearly never meant to sound like Hildegard. Unfortunately the misattribution has been promoted extensively on the internet in multiple soundbite images, quote portals, and blogs. The misquote has gone so far as to now head the introduction of the 2016 book by Dr. Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook "Hildegard of Bingen: Essential Writings and Chants of a Christian Mystic- Annotated and Explained" - perhaps future editions will correct this embarrassment for what appears to otherwise be a well-researched introductory volume.

Thus Hildegard has joined the ranks of those whose names get attached to someone else's words for instant pedigree, including Einstein, the Buddha, and Thomas Edison. A dubious distinction perhaps, but as Lincoln once said, you can't believe everything you read on the internet."