It is hard to choose a particular current that can effectively embody my philosophical belief system. However, while navigating through millennia of philosophical "credo" trying to discover who inspired me the most (Socrates, Plato, the dear to my heart Kant, his disciple Arthur Shopenhauer, my beloved Hindu master Maharishi Mahesh Yogi -whom I have been following for 25 years- the new, fantastic "bomb" Echart Tolle), it occurred to me that there was a WOMAN with whom I share several beliefs on life, nature and the Divine. So, I thought, why not her? I am happy to introduce you to a medieval woman, philosopher, artist, mystic and healer -who's actually mentioned in our textbook- Her name is Hildegard Von Bingen, (Germany, 1098-1179). In the context of what we studied, I think we can say she was an idealist, with a scientific knowledge based on ancient Greece's cosmology. She was an uncommonly resilient woman, a creative musician, a mystic and a healer, who was driven and supported by an all-nourishing spirituality.
At age 42, after a lifetime of "peak experiences" and visions of the Divine, she wrote about one particularly meaningful experience of enlightenment:

"...When I was 42 years and 7 months old, that the heavens were opened and a blinding light of exceptional brilliance flowed through my entire brain. And so it kindled my whole heart and breast like a flame, not burning but warming... "

Positivists could describe enlightenment as a full enlivenment of the nervous system, while idealists could say it is a purer thought of the Love of God. However, across times and locations, it is described in similar words. For example, here is how Ammaji, the living Indian saint who travels the world to hug people, experienced it:

"One day, while rowing a boat Amma, filled with the thought of Krishna, merged in samadhi. Day and night, Amma's heart rushed only for Krishna"

(as described in "Amma's story", a book created by her followers for children readers).
Just like the best of us, Hildegard was ridden by feeling s of inadequacy, which hindered her efforts regarding putting in writing her visions and beliefs (I wonder how would have things been for her if she would have studied in Plato's Academia instead of being an anchor in 12th century Germany). She never doubted the origins of her visions but she needed the approval of religious authorities. Eventually, Pope Eugenius (1145-53) encouraged her to finish her writings. With his support, she completed her first visionary work “Scivias”). Another, unusual for her time, characteristic of Hildegard is her positive view of sexuality and it is speculated that she might have been the first one to describe the female orgasm:

"When a woman is making love with a man, a sense of heat in her brain, which brings with it sensual delight, communicates the taste of that delight during the act and summons forth the emission of the man's seed. And when the seed has fallen into its place, that vehement heat descending from her brain draws the seed to itself and holds it, and soon the woman's sexual organs contract, and all the parts that are ready to open up during the time of menstruation now close, in the same way as a strong man can old something enclosed in his fist."

She was a prolific musician, producing music so beautiful you can almost experience her visions when you listen to it (I have a CD based on her original music). Hildegard believed in natural medicine and saw physical health as achieved through balance in the constituents of the body (similar to Indian Ayurvedic medicine principles). She thought that when these main constituents are out of balance, illness ensues. To bring back the balance and health one had to consume the right plants or foods that contained the nutritive quality lost in the imbalance. Notwithstanding the fact that she was prevalently a mystic and lived most of her life in contemplation and prayer in the feminine religious community she founded, Hildegard was also a social justice pioneer, speaking and writing about matters as poverty, and the birthright of self-actualization and realization of inner gifts and talents, being a forerunner of true 20th century humanistic thought. I share with Hildegard her pioneristic spirit, her untamable character, her appreciation of art as essential to expression and happiness, her approach to natural medicine, and her transcendental experiences (I practice meditation daily and experience transcendental consciousness on regular basis). I also share with Hildegard the universal principles of love of the Divine, the acknowledgment that we are made of the same all-encompassing energy and the belief that we are here to realize ourselves. Like her, I am a fighter and a believer, and I am driven by the love of truth as I experience it. She was an exceptional figure in her times that contributed greatly to her social context and to the development of consciousness through active, many of which successful, attempts to change the religious system she was born into. My personal philosophical credo of authentic pursue of truth and knowledge, no matter how hard it may become at times, finds great inspiration and support in women like Hildegard, no matter when and where they lived.