On March 19th from 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179) was a visionary, natural scientist, politician, composer, theologian and monastery manager. The “criss-cross” documentary “Hildegard von Bingen and the Power of Women” paints the picture of a woman who broke many of the boundaries of her time on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at 10:35 p.m. on ORF 2. Florian Kröppel’s film “Cleansing from the Inside – Fasting in Religions” follows at 11:20 p.m.
“Hildegard von Bingen and the power of women” – a film by Friederike Haedecke
Many of her writings, especially Hildegard von Bingen’s knowledge of naturopathy, have lost none of their relevance to this day. Others still raise questions. While some suspect Hildegard’s visions to be a kind of herbalist’s drug habit, others see them as a prophetic gift, even proof of her holiness. Claiming special closeness to God was not without danger. She drew her courage from a religious sense of mission. Hildegard’s visions were a powerful tool for a woman at a time when the female gender was completely under male control. She managed to get the Pope himself to recognize her visions, thereby freeing herself from suspicion of being a heretic. From today’s perspective, her perception of nature, in which she saw a reflection of the divine world order, was particularly groundbreaking. She also described the human body and sexuality in detail and with great impartiality.
“Cleansing from the inside – fasting in religions” – a film by Florian Kröppel
It seems to be a basic practice of life that connects almost all of humanity: fasting. Hardly any culture questions periodic renunciation. Bare periods seem to be too important for our bodies and our minds. And also for the soul. Because fasting has always been both a medical application and a religious act.
Julia Radlingmayer goes to Geras Abbey for a week to go completely without food for a week with like-minded people. Alexander Graffi has been running a fasting house there for several years, where controlled abstinence from all solid food is offered. It has now been proven, not least through the work of the Graz scientists Thomas Pieber and the team around Frank Madeo, that fasting actually makes you healthier. Especially in the period before Easter there is a lot of activity in Geras. Because, regardless of medical trends, fasting is still an important religious practice. The religious scientist Birgit Heller and the religious scientist Franz Winter know why this is so: On the one hand, abstinence is an important part of the preparation for a festival, and on the other hand, fasting helps to purify the mind. It is not for nothing that fasting is known in almost all religions and cultures.
Islam knows the Ramadan fast. The young Viennese student Nesrin El-Isa invites people “all over the place” during the last days of the fasting month to get to know this time of prayer and inner contemplation. Social cohesion is just as important as abstinence these days. The Alevis have two periods of fasting, and they follow different calendars. Their main fasting period is the month of Muharram, during which they abstain even from plain water for twelve days in honor of the twelve Imams. Indian traditions and Judaism also have periods of fasting. There are different motivations, different customs and different approaches. What they have in common is the experience: Those who fast cleanse themselves from the inside.