juniper leaves and a star made of red straw

In 1328 Henry Suso, a Dominican monk and mystic, described in his autobiography “a vision [of] angelic strains and sweet heavenly melody, and this filled him with such gladness that he forgot all his sufferings.” Suso’s sufferings mostly consisted of extremely harsh self-mortification which he undertook to purify himself and become worthy of heavenly joys. In the vision, Suso was instructed by God to “cast off his sorrows” and to dance “in heavenly fashion” in the company of angels around the infant Jesus.

The song which he heard was the carol still sung today: “In Dulci Jubilo.”