University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Journal of Women in Educational Leadership Educational Administration, Department of 2007 Channeling Hildegard of Bingen: Transcending Time and Fanning the Flame Helen C. Sobehart Duquesne University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/jwel Sobehart, Helen C., "Channeling Hildegard of Bingen: Transcending Time and Fanning the Flame" (2007). Journal of Women in Educational Leadership. 10. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/jwel/10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Educational Administration, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Women in Educational Leadership by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Channeling Hildegard of Bingen: Transcending Time and Fanning the Flame Helen C. Sobehart "You know, Hildegard, I didn't ask for this calling to support the cause of women." "Well I didn't ask for what happened to me either, Helen. Ijust happened to be born the tenth child of a wealthy family in the twelfth century. Do you know where the word "tithe" comes from? In my day, the 'tenth' child was 'donated'to the church. So stop whining and let's get on with this story." "Kind of cheeky for a 12th century nun, aren't you?" "We mystics can take on the vernacular of the time-should that be so surpris ing? In fact, one of my biographers correctly observed that there were 'limits to my patience and humility, and that 'meek' and 'ordinary' were the last words to describe me" (Flanagan, 1998, p.