Launching March 2026
My Sap is Rising
A Pilgrimage of Holistic Mental Health Healing
with Hildegard of Bingen and Alfred Adler
Do these questions stir something in you?
✓ What do I do when life doesn't go as planned?
✓ How can I heal in a way that honors my whole self - mind, body, and spirit?
✓ Where do I find ancient wisdom that speaks to my modern life?
✓ Is there a path forward that weaves together spirituality and psychology?
If you're seeking a journey that weaves together spirituality, psychology, and the courage to begin again, this book is for you.
“You shall do it!”
This is what I told Danae Ashley when I first met her on a warm summer afternoon at the Hildegard Forum in Bingen in May 2023. And she did it! What you are now holding in your hands is a much needed first contribution to Hildegard of Bingen‘s ethical work on virtues and vices, especially in the Liber vitae Meritorum. What makes this book so unique is that Rev. Ashley a trained Adlerian psychotherapist was able to connect Hildegard‘s original ethical thoughts with modern individual psychology in such a way that ‘pilgrims‘ today, be it on the ‘Hildegard Way‘ or beyond who follow the ‘Pilgrim‘s Reflection’ in this book, may gain tremendously from the insights and wisdom of both, Hildegard of Bingen and Alfred Adler, as well personally as also spirituality. So thank you Mother Danae Ashley!
– Dr. Annette Esser, Scivias Institute, Germany
Author of The Hildegard of Bingen Pilgrimage Book
Your Journey Awaits
What could a revolutionary 12th-century German mystic and a 20th-century Austrian psychotherapist have to do with one another? More than you might imagine.
My Sap Is Rising invites you on a pilgrimage of discovery and healing. Walk with me along the Hildegard of Bingen Pilgrimage Way as we explore holistic mental health healing through the wisdom of two extraordinary teachers separated by eight centuries - yet united in their approach to wholeness.
Part spiritual memoir, part self-help, part educational, this book weaves together ancient remedies and modern psychology, offering insights you can apply to your own journey toward healing. You'll discover how medieval wisdom speaks powerfully to contemporary life, and how the greening power of viriditas—the life force Hildegard celebrated—can rise within you again.
Themes you’ll explore
Illustrated by artist Kester Limner, My Sap Is Rising weaves visual beauty with transformative wisdom. Each illustration deepens your journey, inviting contemplation and discovery.
Holistic Healing
Discover how Hildegard of Bingen and Alfred Adler both understood that true healing addresses mind, body, and spirit as one. Learn to tend to your whole self with practices that honor the interconnection of all aspects of your being.
Ancient Wisdom
Bridge eight centuries as a 12th-century mystic and 20th-century psychotherapist illuminate your modern path. Their combined wisdom offers timeless insight for navigating contemporary challenges with ancient understanding.
Journey to Wholeness
Follow the pilgrimage path, both literal and metaphorical, toward becoming whole. Glean insights to apply to your own journey, discovering that the path to healing is itself a sacred practice.
There is a power that has been since all eternity, and that force and potentiality is green!
— HILDEGARD OF BINGEN
How this book found me
I never planned on writing this book.
But sometimes the most important work finds us when we're searching for answers ourselves. During a time of deep transition, one thing became clear in prayer: I needed to go to Hildegard of Bingen in Germany.
On the pilgrimage, I met Dr. Annette Esser, author of the guidebook for the Hildegard Way. Over dinner, as we discussed Hildegard's approach to healing, she suggested I present on Hildegard and psychotherapy at an upcoming conference. When I explained that no one had really explored this connection, she looked at me intently and said, "That is because this is your work to do."
I felt my own viriditas—the term Hildegard used for the life force, the greening power of God—bubble up like sap rising. A cosmic "Yes" hummed through me. By the time I returned to my room that night, I had an outline for not just a presentation, but this very book.
If you've ever felt called to a journey you didn't expect, if you've wondered whether ancient wisdom holds keys to your modern questions, this book was written for you.
Praise for the Book
-
My Sap is Rising is clever, insightful, empowering, and encouraging. Danae does a masterful job creatively articulating the connection between the life and influence of Hildegard with Adler’s Individual Psychology while providing readers with opportunities for personal, emotional, and spiritual growth and transformation. This is a true work of social interest.
-Meg Williams, PhD, LMFT-S, MCLC, Adlerian Network Chair
-
My Sap is Rising brilliantly weaves together Rev. Ashley’s personal experience of Hildegard of Bingen and her expertise in Adler. It offers a creative and holistic application of Hildegard and Adler for the reader. This book is unique in its approach and offers a valuable contribution to the world of Hildegard studies.
-Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer, Founder and Pastor of the Hildegard Haus, Author of 30 Day Journey with St. Hildegard of Bingen and Forbidden Grace
-
If you’re looking for a meaningful armchair adventure, read My Sap is Rising. Danae Ashley takes the reader on an exciting exploration as an authentic modern pilgrim alongside a 20th century psychologist and 12th century mystic. The book’s presentation is creatively conceived and executed with scholarly documentation and illustrations which make the material delightfully accessible.
-Molly O’Dell, MD, MFA, Author of Care is A Four Letter Verb
Invite Danae to Speak
Danae is available for retreat centers, spiritual communities, book clubs, conferences, and workshops on holistic healing
Topics she can speak on:
Hildegard's approach to healing
Pilgrimage as spiritual practice
Holistic mental health
Ancient wisdom for modern times
If you’d like to have bring the book tour to your group, please contact Danae email address here.
Curious about hosting a book event?
FAQs
-
The ideal reader for this book is someone who is seeking transformation in their own lives. Someone who is curious about how spirituality and psychology intersect. Someone who has experienced an unexpected and painful event and wondered if they could heal and thrive. Part spiritual memoir, part self-help guide, and part historical exploration, this book is a feast that appeals to anyone who wants to know what it is like to be “a feather on the breath of God” and feel your sap rising in response.
-
You are in for a treat! Each of these figures in history are fascinating in their own right and the book unwraps their stories and healing practices with each chapter. There is a robust bibliography at the end of the book so that you can go down the rabbit holes that intrigue you most. I’m so excited to introduce you to these two people who have influenced my life in profound ways and hope that you will love them, too!
-
That is a complicated question. The short answer is–sort of? Hildegard of Bingen is a 12th century German Benedictine nun and I am a 21st century American Episcopal priest, so there is certainly a Christian background and framework in what is explored here. However, it is not a book telling you what you should believe or condemning you for not believing in God or not going to church or anything like that. The religious aspect is explored in the context of history and Hildegard’s particular place in that history, along with her beliefs from that era. We cannot take her out of her place in history and the Christian religion was her social and religious context.
-
The book is scheduled to officially debut on March 21, 2026. There will be pre-orders available and I will update this page with that information. I’ll also be selling bookplates that I will autograph and send to you, along with a few other treats that will be available in my shop.
-
Yes! Tehom Center Publishing and I are working on this. I will be reading the book myself - so fun!
-
Absolutely! In fact, I hope you do. I am available via Zoom or other online platforms, as well as in person events.