As we celebrate the fullness of Spring, I can think of no better way to honor the viriditas of the season than with My Sap is Rising: A Pilgrimage of Holistic Mental Health Healing with Hildegard of Bingen and Alfred Adler by Danae Ashley.
Belief Behind the Book is a feature that gives readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the beliefs behind books written by progressive spiritual leaders. Inspired by the Ministry from the Margins Books program, Belief Behind the Book shines a spotlight on why authors write the books they write, offering up practical tips for readers to apply to their own belief systems.
What happens when a 12th-century mystic, a 20th-century psychologist, and a modern-day priest walk into the Rhine Valley?
When Episcopal priest and psychotherapist Rev. Danae Ashley embarked on the Hildegard of Bingen Pilgrimage Way through Germany, she carried two unlikely companions: the revolutionary medieval abbess Hildegard and Alfred Adler, founder of Individual Psychology. What she discovered was that these three voices, separated by centuries, speak a unified language of wholeness, courage and transformation.
Part spiritual memoir, part self-help guide, part historical exploration, My Sap is Rising invites you on a journey through the Rhine Valley and into your own healing. Through beautifully illustrated reflections, Danae weaves together Hildegard’s theology of viriditas (greening power), Adler’s Individual Psychology, and her own experience as a therapist and pilgrim to offer a holistic path toward mental, physical and spiritual wellness.
Each chapter includes stories from the pilgrimage trail, insights from Hildegard’s mystical writings and Adler’s psychology, practical exercises for your own transformation, and original illustrations by Kester Limner. Whether you’re a therapist seeking to integrate spirituality into your practice, a spiritual seeker hungry for medieval wisdom, or simply curious about what it means to be “a feather on the breath of God,” this book is a feast for body, mind and spirit.
Feel your sap rising. The pilgrimage begins here.
Danae Ashley is an Episcopal priest, Adlerian psychotherapist, international speaker and voiceover actress in the Pacific Northwest. When not reading, writing or speaking about Hildegard, you may find her traveling with her husband, making sure their rescue dog is living his best life, dancing with wild abandon to Celtic music, and serious karaoke.
When I asked her why she wrote My Sap is Rising, she responded, “Because I couldn’t not write it. When I began researching Hildegard of Bingen and psychotherapy for a presentation I was to give in Germany, I knew I had to write a book. There was so much information and love for Hildegard and Adler that I wanted to share.”
Continuing, Rev. Ashley offers a practical takeaway from My Sap is Rising: “One of the most vital takeaways for readers is an Adlerian concept that Hildegard also embraces: There is no good mental health without community. We need each other to heal, and we need each other to live through whatever life brings us.”
In verdant community, we blossom, grow, and heal. Together.
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Award-winning author of ten books, including The Authorpreneur Handbook. Founder and CEO of Tehom Center Publishing, a nonprofit press publishing feminist and queer authors, with a commitment to elevate BIPOC writers. Rev. Dr. Yarber’s work has been featured in Forbes, HuffPo, NPR, The Advocate, Ms. Magazine, the television show Tiny House Nation, and more. She travels the world speaking, preaching, publishing, and writing, but she can always be found at www.tehomcenter.org