Nostradamus, or to give him his full name, Michel de Nostredame, was a famous astrologer.
Born in France in 1503, he was Catholic, but later in life leaned towards his Jewish ancestry, claiming that his ability to predict things came from his forebears.
Of course, he didn’t get everything right. After all he did predict that the world would end in 1999. I’m glad he got that one wrong!
He did though in fact “predict” the following major events: The Great Fire of London, the rise of Hitler, Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, the death of Princess Diana, the Kennedy assassination, 9/11, and lastly but certainly not least – the recent death of Queen Elizabeth.
Mightily impressive given the fact that he lived hundreds of years before many of these events.
Today he is revered by many and ridiculed by others.
However, did he? Did he really predict the above?
Let’s take a closer look…
Nostradamus is quoted as saying: “From the depths of West Europe, a young child will be born of poor people… and by his tongue… seduce a great troop, and his fame will spread far beyond Europe…”
Is this the warning of the rise of Adolf Hitler? That’s what many believe.
Regarding the atomic bombs dropped on Japan, what Nostradamus actually said was: “Within two cities, there will be scourges the like of which was never seen.”
Either he was spot on, or he was so vague he got lucky?
Then there’s global warming. Regarding rising sea levels, Nostradamus said: “Like the sun the head shall sear the shining sea: The Black Sea’s living fish shall all but boil. When Rhodes and Genoa half-starved shall be, the local folk to cut them up shall toil.”
Hmm…
The Great Fire of London ravaged the capital city in 1666. Years earlier Nostradamus said: “The blood of the just will commit a fault at London, burnt through lightning of twenty threes the six: The ancient lady will fall from her high place, several of the same sect will be killed.”
Some claim that the mention of “ancient lady” is a reference to London itself. And the phrase “twenty threes the six” is a reference to 1666.
The Kennedy assassination was one of the biggest political shocks of the 20th Century. The leader of the free world shot and killed in Dallas Texas in 1963. He was shot from a distance, by a sniper’s bullet. Nostradamus said: “From on high, evil will fall on the great man.”
9/11 – the day that terror hit the streets of the US and the world changed forever. The two quotes below have both been attributed to Nostradamus.
“Two steel birds will fall from the sky on the Metropolis, the sky will burn at forty-five degrees latitude. Fire approaches the great new city. Immediately a huge, scattered flame leaps up.”
And: “In the year of the new century and nine months, from the sky will come a great King of Terror. The sky will burn at forty-five degrees. Fire approaches the great new city.”
It certainly makes you think, but then again… I feel many of his predictions are open to serious interpretation.
But at the end of the day, I suppose the accuracy of his “predictions” simply come down to how much you really want to believe.
Regarding the very recent death of Queen Elizabeth II. Now this is fascinating. According to an author who wrote a book on Nostradamus in 2005, the great man himself said hundreds of years earlier: “Queen Elizabeth II will die, circa 22, at the age of around 96.”
Queen Elizabeth died in 2022, aged 96.
This 2005 book had only sold minimal copies, but since the Queen’s death and when word got out that old Nostra had “predicated” her death, the book has sold thousands of copies.
In the last few weeks, many have totally refuted these claims of predicting the Queen’s death, saying the author of the book merely interpreted what Nostradamus said and that Nostradamus himself never mentioned Elizabeth by name.
Are you impressed? A believer in the great man’s psychic abilities? Or do you find it all rather vague and a bit of a stab in the dark?
Apparently, Nostradamus quoted many of his predications and tales of doom to his secretary while high on nutmeg. Yes, you read that correctly, high on nutmeg, that spice we don’t know what to do with when we find it lurking at the back of the spice rack.
We look at it with bemusement and wonder where it came from. As we study the dusty label on the wee glass bottle, we discover the use-by date is 1987. But do we throw it out? No, of course not, we shake our heads, then put it back in its place in the spice rack aside a plethora of other things we don’t use and have no intention of using. Ring a bell?
I genuinely didn’t know that nutmeg when ingested in large doses is hallucinogenic, ie gets you high. I do know though that nutmeg is very good when grated into a steaming mug of homemade hot chocolate.
I also recall, grating nutmeg on to sprouts once at Christmas. On reflection, maybe that was why granny was smiling that day. Sorry, I digress.
Anyway, what about the future that has still to come? What did he have to say about that?
Surprise surprise, Nostradamus predicts a third world war, and believers in him say it’s all to do with the current war in Ukraine. Sorry, the “special military operation”.
Frankly I couldn’t find anything concrete or remotely direct in any quotes regarding that one to make me believe.
And lastly, but certainly not least, Nostradamus predicated the following. “Because they disapproved of his divorce, a man who later they considered unworthy, the people will force out the King of the islands. A man will replace who never expected to be King.”
Believers say that this is meant to be our new King Charles. And the bit about the replacement being a man who never expected to be King, is… Prince Harry.
Who knows?
The man was either a genius or a charlatan.
What do you think? Do share your views.
And while I’m on the subject of predictions, I’d like to make one of my own.
“In all his glory, the full roundness of the lord shall appear before us in the depths of winter…”
In layman’s terms – Easter eggs will be in the shops by mid January.
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