Awake Inside Your Breathing

O Beloved,

your way of knowing is amazing!
The way you recognize every creature
even before it appears.
The way you gaze into the face
of every human being
and see all your works gazing back at you.
O what a miracle
to be awake inside your breathing.

~ SYMPHONIA by Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen lived in 12th century Germany. When she was 8 years old, her parents sent her to a Benedictine monastery where she learned to read and write and eventually live out her life. When she was 50, she became abbess of the monastery. Hildegard's life story is a fascinating one. All the more so because she wrote not only books, but also music. She was the mystic of the greening; she saw the intensity of growth all around.

This snippet of Hildgard's Symphonia is lovely. Although she is speaking of God as her Beloved, she could be referring to any of a multitude of Divine beings. I so love the sound and flow of it ~ calling the Divine "beloved" and feeling the awe and amazement of being seen. That's what the Divine does for us ~ helps us to be seen, to be know as an individual.

When I think of the phrasing of the last line, to be awake inside your breathing, I feel the gentle pull and the warmth of the breath of the Divine. I feel the moisture of that life-giving breath. It is a miracle and I am grateful!

What presents you with the beauty of the Divine? What do you love most about it? Do you have a favorite poem that connects you with the Divine?