Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Christian : Catholic

13th Century

Germany
(Europe)

Mechthild of Magdeburg

Timeline (1207 - 1297)

Poems by Mechthild of Magdeburg
Books - Links

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Mechthild of Magdeburg was born around the year 1207, probably into a noble family in northern Germany.

She had a defining ecstatic experience at the age of twelve, where she saw "all things in God and God in all things."

In 1235, when Mechthild was in her twenties, she joined the Beguine sisterhood, as many women mystics of the time did in Germany and the Low Countries. As a Beguine she led a life of simplicity, service, and spiritual practice.

Her confessor, Heinrich of Halle, convinced her to write down her ongoing mystical visions. This project took many years as it was interrupted by periods of sickness and having to deal with the attacks of religious critics. She only completed this work in about 1282, a few years before her death, and just after she joined an order of Cistercian nuns at Helfta.

This book, The Flowing Light of the Godhead, describes the experience of unio mystica (mystical union) in terms of the sacred marriage between the soul as the Bride and Christ as the Bridegroom. Her poetry stands out as among the most elevated mystical love poetry in the German language, drawing comparisons to the Sufi poets of the Middle East and the Bhakti poets of India.

The great Italian poet Dante is said to have been greatly inspired by Mechthild's writing, and it is likely that he based his character Matilda in the Purgatorio on her.

Poems by Mechthild of Magdeburg

	A fish cannot drown in water,
	Effortlessly,
	In pride I so easily lost Thee --
	Of the voices of the Godhead
	The devil also offers his spirit
	Then shall I leap into love
	Wouldst thou know my meaning?
	Yea! I shall drink from Thee

Recommended Books

	Christian Mystics: Their Lives and Legacies throughout the Ages, by Ursula King Amazon.com
	Ecstatic Transformation: Transpersonal Psychology in the Work of Mechthild of Magdeburg, by Ulrike Wiethaus Amazon.com
	The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry, by Stephen Mitchell Amazon.com
	German Mystical Writings: Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, Jacob Boehme, and others, Edited by Karen J. Campbell Amazon.com
	Mechthild of Magdeburg: The Flowing Light of the Godhead (Classics of Western Spirituality), by Mechthild of Magdeburg / Translated by Frank J. Tobin Amazon.com
	Meditations from Mechthild of Magdeburg, by Henry L. Carrigan, Jr. Amazon.com
	Meister Eckhart and the Beguine Mystics: Hadewijch of Brabant, Mechthild of Magdeburg, and Marguerite Porete, by Bernard Mcginn Amazon.com
	Poetry for the Spirit: Poems of Universal Wisdom and Beauty, Edited by Alan Jacobs Amazon.com
	Sacred Voices: Essential Women's Voices Through the Ages, Edited by Mary Ford-Grabowsky Amazon.com
	The Soul as Virgin Wife: Mechthild of Magdeburg, Marguerite Porete, and Meister Eckhart, by Amy M. Hollywood Amazon.com
	Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women, Edited by Jane Hirshfield Amazon.com

Related Links:

	Mechthild of Magdeburg http://home.infionline.net/~ddisse/mechthil.html Brief biography, some links and books, several poems on-line.
	Catholic Encyclopedia: Mechtild of Mageburg http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10106a.htm Brief biography.
	Mystical Writers: Frauenmystics http://www.nd.edu/~gantho/anth354-532/Frauenmystics428-437.html A brief biography of Mechthild of Magdeburg in English, accompanied by a selection of verses in German.

Please support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Mechthild of Magdeburg

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Poetry Chaikhana
Sacred Poetry from Around the World