Florence Nightingale: a 19th-century mystic.

Florence Nightingale's life and work were driven by a mystical calling she received at age 16, which motivated her to become a practicing mystic in the Western tradition. This spiritual practice was the primary source of her energy and influence. The article examines her motivation and inspiration by drawing parallels between her life and three recognized women mystics. Her leadership of nurses during the Crimean War (1854-1856) at Scutari, Turkey, brought her to world attention as a spiritual beacon. Her key achievement was pioneering the modern administrative role of nurse superintendent, using measurable outcomes supported by irrefutable data, which became the foundation of her life's work.

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Abstract

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) received a clear and profoundly moving Call to serve God at the age of 16. Through a lifetime of hard work and discipline, she became a practicing mystic in the Western tradition, thereby becoming an instrument of God's love, which was the primarily source of her great energy and the fabled "Nightingale power." To understand the life and work of this legendary healer, who forever changed human consciousness, the role of women, and nursing and public health systems in the middle of the 19th century, it is necessary to understand her motivation and inspiration. This article will discuss her life and work in the context of her mystical practice and to show the parallels between her life and the lives of three recognized women mystics. In her epic Crimean war mission (1854-1856) of leading and directing women nurses in the army hospital at Scutari, Turkey, Florence Nightingale burst into world consciousness as a spiritual beacon of hope and compassion for all who suffered. Her historic breakthrough achievement--pioneering the modern administrative role of nurse superintendent with measurable outcomes supported by irrefutable data--in the face of incredible adversity was merely the cornerstone of her life work.