Nostradamus, Essay Example

Introduction

According to Cannon, Dolores (1994), Michel de Nostradamus was a Jewish prophet born in December 14, 1503 in Provence, south of France. He began as a physician after completing his doctorate degree in medicine and helped many victims of the bubonic plague in his time. He then became a seer and astrologer after he did some research on pagan magic and used his powers to try and help reduce future tragedies. He is referred to as a prophet of doom or a product of the devil due to his predictions on wars and revolutionary politics but to neo-nostradamists, his prophesies are accurate with predicted times which makes him stand as a ‘king of prophets’ for centuries.

His works of prophecies are collected in a book called  ‘Les Centuries’ written in quatrains or verses made of four lines at the ‘secret room’ in the city of Salon. He also had a black mirror called ‘the path to the future’. The meanings of these verses are hidden using metaphors or jumbled text to avoid being referred as an occult leader as it would occur in sixteenth century France.

Nostradamus Prophesies

The Rise and Fall of Hitler

Nostradamus refers to Hitler as a child born to poor parents in the most eastern part of Europe, while in fact Hitler was born to a poor home in Austro-Bavarian region. He predicts that he would seduce the masses to get him to power by promising to get them from sorrow and servitude. He would detest the eastern power. Hitler’s greatest enemy happened to be the Soviet Union. He will use trickery in his new republic with the falsehood of his book. He says the new Nero will be put to three ovens which also predict the perishing of the 11 million Jews.

Hitler’s dangerous armed force of 1921 predicted his party’s most successful year. The rain of fire is also a prediction of Hitler’s reign of atomic bombs from 1939 to 1945 in the Second World War. Attempts on his life by fellow Germans correctly predicted three German spies who failed in a bomb assassination attempt. The German desolation is predicted as a result of defeat by the north (USSR). He also predicts a fall out between USSR and USA who were allies in waging warfare against Hitler (Cannon 150)

The Bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York

The Nostradamus calendar correctly predicts the events of September 11, 2001 as the year of 1999, seven months. But the Pope’s calendar is off by two year which alters the timing of the events. According to his prophecy, there shall come from the sky a king of terror who is a master in Muhammad law wearing a blue turban and will be a terror to mankind. This predictions labels Osama bin Laden as the king of terror who uses the planes to airstrike, the collapse of the twin brothers and the fortress in the great new city, the sky burning at 45 degrees latitude (Roberts 218). This is in fact the bombing of Twin Towers of New York and the Pentagon at 40.5 degrees latitude on which Manhattan lies.

Chemical warfare, radioactive emissions and fallouts which Nostradamus calls Hannibal’s rising will strike the world to hunger and famine. Coupled with this will be natural disasters such as erupting volcanoes that will cause severe earthquakes and climatic changes. This prediction goes with the time we are experiencing outcry on global warming and weapons of mass destruction. This has been followed by signing of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce gaseous emissions with the US refusing to sign it. Consequently Iran has been rumored to be holding these destructive weapons. Following these attacks, Nostradamus predicted of a horrible war being prepared in the west that was indiscriminate of the young, old or beast. The US and its allies declared war on Afghanistan and Iraq in order to fight terror after 911 attacks.

The New War

The use of bacteriological weapons is meant to force the world into a new order while the old world order collapses. Many ties of diplomacy will be lost and realigned. Nostradamus predicts the rise of the Antichrist, who is against Christian teachings. (Fontbrune 39) Christianity will therefore falter due to its inability to explain events. The antichrist refers to the materialism which will take over the West. Those in opposition shall be martyred. He will terrify the rulers of the world with his horror and power. There will be battles in the land, air and sea and will fatal due to use of lethal weapons.

It is this war that will lead to great famine and many will eat young infants. Honey will cost more than wax due to disproportionate prices. War will cause food distribution difficult so many will die as a result. Natural events will follow causing more destruction. Fish in the sea will die while nations will wage war against the antichrist. Russia will join the unconquered nations of the northern pole alliance and strike terror on the antichrist. There will be a turning point in his reign which will mark the end of the western civilization. Nostradamus predicts the fulfillment of these prophesies by the year7000 after nine moons.

The French Revolution

The people of France convicted King Louis, the queen and his mistress and later were sentenced to death. The noble were also beheaded in the gallows at the French square. Nostradamus describes the chants and songs by the mob while the king and queen languish in prison. He predicts the queen will be in a wedding and will be lured to her death.

The Three Antichrists

These are the three despotic leaders who will promise to alleviate their people’s suffering but will lead them through reigns of horror. Napoleon’ first among the three was ‘less a prince than a butcher’ as the king in France. He invaded Russia like a great swarm of bees having risen to the empire as a simple soldier. Napoleon’s imperial crest as an emperor was a beehive. The second antichrist was Hitler who was born of a Buddhist monk and a twin. Nostradamus calls him the new Nero who will hurl into three ovens. This would be associated with the Holocaust victims in Germany. The third antichrist is associated with the rise and fall of world economy.

The London Fire of 1666

This prophecy is specific in the year it happened while three quarters of London was reduced to ashes. Nostradamus predicted that ‘the blood of the just will be demanded of London, burnt by fire in the year 66’.

The Planet Mars Cosmology

The planet mars came closest to the Earth in 2003. At that time the Nostradamus prophecy predicted the coming back to life of the king of Mongols, who reigns by good luck before and after the Mars; this king is the president of America. This is after an earth-shaking fire from the centre of the world by the king of terror. In the study of change and civilization, the cosmic year indicates a span of 129,600 calendar years. This includes the birth of civilization which takes 50,000 years, the maturity stage takes another 50,000 years and the great ice age takes 30,000 years.

Nostradamus is seen to have wanted the world to get back to the Golden age brought about by a complete revolution, after the human full cycle that is preceded by monarchy. These cycles are described by the four seasons of the earth by the cosmic calendar. Cosmic spring is birth, summer is growth, autumn is maturity or harvest, winter is rest, stability and firmness of human nobility.

Nostradamus Letter to Caesar

Nostradamus sees the Almighty God as responsible to complete the revolution in the universe and harmonize tragedy and horror on earth. The constellations will resume their motion for the earth to remain stable. This will be on condition the Almighty God doesn’t change until his will is done. This means the world has to go through a period of struggle, conflict, wars and death before the end of revolution is achieved as human civilization and science develops.

Nostradamus Prophesies Criticism

Critics say these prophesies have been dismissed as only doom saying and are complete forgery. In case they eventually occur, it is by sheer luck and coincidence.  Critics say Nostradamus predicted only one of the twin towers burning of the World Trade Centre which makes his predictions inaccurate. He might as well been a master of dark magic to predict such events. The fire of London is one event whose date’s accuracy scares away criticism. In general perspective, Nostradamus predictions were not merely imaginations but works of well researched astrology.

Works Cited

Cannon, Dolores. Conversations with Nostradamus: His Prophesies Explained. 6^th ed. New York: New York Publishers, 1994.

Roberts, Henry C. The Complete Prophecies of Nostradamus. 1^st ed. New York: Crown Publishers, 1994.

Fontbrune, Jean-Charles. Nostradamus-Countdown to Apocalypse.1^st ed. New York: Henry Hold and Company, Inc., 1983.