Ħildegard’s Ħealing §tones

Hildegard von Bingen was a collector of healing stones.  During Europe’s Middle Ages, she considered minerals and stones to be created by Water, Fire, or a combination of the two.  As such, they had properties similar to those – as commonly understood to natural phenomena during the time.  As a Healer, Hildegard recognized that minerals and stones were accompanied by a unique and divine blessing, this led to her established applications of them, from Touch Healing to cooking to infusing drinks.  Historically, many of the mineral and stone correspondences used today in Healing Stone Therapies originated from the work of Medieval Healers.

The minerals and stones readily available to Hildegard, living in the Rhineland-Palatinate of Germany, and so found in her collected works, include: Amethyst, Agate, Jasper, and Quartz.  Less common stones available in the area but considered more valuable include: Aquamarine, Beryl, Chrysprase, Garnet, and Topaz.  And regarding her precious stones: Diamond and Pearl, she would probably have received these from patrons, and well-traveled admirers.

Today, several stones are known to be part of her collection.  What follows is a list I have compiled from various German source texts, to include her own Physica, and information collected while visiting her museum, and the monastery in Disibodenberg where she resided.  The following list is not complete.  The full list will be included in my next book: Forn Þreifa: Ancient Healing Touch.

 

Common Name	Hildegard’s Name	Her Known Use
Amethyst	(Purple) Quartz	Insect Bites and to Beautify the Skin
Agate or Chalcedony	Sardonyx	Remedy for Fever and to calm an Irrational Temper
Agate Quartz	Achat	Restore Emotional Balance, Create Harmony, and Increase Practicality

 

Calcite either Onyx or Marble Calcite	Kalk	Onyx: Stomach Ailments and Spleen Disease
Emerald Possibly Chromian Beryl	Smarragd	Headaches
Jasper or Red Quartz	Jaspis	Deafness

 

Garnet different types of semiprecious stones -Hyacinth -Garnet -Sapphire

Hyazinth Grossular Corundum

Hyacinth was also a group name for Garnet, Almandine, Hessonite, Spinel, Vesuvianite, and Zircon

 

Quartz Crystal	Bergkristall	Remedy an Ill or Weak Heart, Ease an Upset Stomach or Cure Abdominal Pain
Sapphire	Saphir	Gout and Eye Pain/Disease

 

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Photo Still from the Film, Vision: From the Life of Hildegard Von Bingen