The Historical Psychic

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I had to resort to Nostradamus for Dummies by Scarlet Ross to learn the meaning of Nostradamus' predictions. Nostradamus was not only writing in a dreamlike state, he also had to be careful around both royalty and the church if he wanted to keep his head firmly attached to his neck. The church considered the esoteric arts witchcraft. To be really safe, most of Nostradamus' predictions weren't published until his death at the age of sixty in 1566.

I can picture him in the 1550's, climbing up to his attic on the third story of his second wife's house in southern France. He's wearing his long scholar's robe and the three-sided hat, the sign of a physician. There's sadness etched into his face from the death of his wife and two children. And one can probably sense anger, too. Although he had developed a lozenge made of a powder pulverized with three to four hundred roses plucked before dawn that helped people survive the plague, no one wanted a doctor who couldn't save his own wife and kids.

Marrying a rich widow has given him solace and time for his real interests such as alchemy, the Kabala, astrology, Egyptian mysticism, and numerology. From a bowl of water resting in a brass stool (a tripod), he anoints his robe and his feet. He sits down at his desk, a quill in hand poised over an empty page. Then he gazes into the surface of the water, watching the play of candlelight upon it. He focuses hard. His breathing slows. Just as his body is separated from everyone around him, his thoughts begin to separate from his mind. He is not only a man aware of himself gazing at the surface of the water, but is also able to see himself doing it as if from a distance.

Patiently, he waits for a vision of the future to appear in the water's reflective surface. When it does, he dips the nib of his quill into his inkpot and writes the prophecy down in the form of a quatrain, a four-line poem.

The young lion will overcome the old one
On the field of battle in single combat:
He will put out his eyes in a cage of gold:
Two fleets one then to die a cruel death. (CI-35)

Voila, it's the prediction of King Henry ll's death. King Henry ll had a lion emblazoned on his shields and banners. In 1555, when this prophecy was published, it caused such a ruckus that the king's wife, Catherine de Medici, ordered Nostradamus to come to court to explain himself. Kill the Messenger was what royalty did for a bad prediction. But Nostradamus talked his way around it and all was forgotten.

Then in 1559, during a jousting tournament, Henry's opponent was the head of the Scottish guard who also had a lion on his shield and was younger than the king. When the opponent tried to knock Henry off his horse, his lance missed the king's chest. It splintered and went through Henry's helmet which is the "cage of gold" and also his throat. A fleet is a wound. Nostradamus was right. The king lay in agony for ten days from his two wounds, a cruel death as Nostradamus had written.

People at court suggested that Nostradamus must have planned the king's death. But Nostradamus managed to get off the hook again.

Check out this eye-popping divination for Napoleon's attack on Milan in 1796:

The speech delivered before the attack,
Milan taken by the eagle through deceptive ambushes;
Ancient wall driven in by canons,
Through fire and blood few given quarter. (C III - 37)

That's exactly what happened. Napoleon and his bedraggled, hungry troops had been fighting the Italians for months with barely any help from France. Then Napoleon delivered that brilliant speech referred to in the first line, convincing his men that if they rallied and took Milan, they'd be able to sack not only Milan but all the countries around it. The soldiers rose up and fought, looting valuables, including art treasures, not only filling their stomachs, but their pockets, too.
No one at the time could have imagined that World War I wouldn't be "the war to end all wars," but Nostradamus foresaw both world wars.

The scourges passed the world shrinks,
For a long time peace and unpopulated lands:
One will travel safely by air, land, sea, and wave,
Then the wars stirred up anew. (C I - 63)

They will think they have seen the sun at night
When they see the pig half-man:
Noise, battle, fighting in the sky perceived,
And one will hear brute beasts talking. (C I - 64)

"The world shrinks" refers to one country annexing another after WWI. Nostradamus foresaw plane travel and "the wars stirred up anew." In quatrain two, he visualizes the searchlights and explosions that made the night sky into day. The pig half-man refers to the leather snout-nosed masks that fighter pilots wore. And from the line about the noise, it's plain that Nostradamus not only saw visions of the future, but heard them, too.

If a prediction turned up for this election, it might sound something like this:

The old war horse holds back,
While knight and damsel soundly joust:
Two will to the Senate return,
The winner limp to the White House.

Comments

[Ears]

You had me from the beginning. I wanted more. But that's just how I am, I want more of a good thing. Bravo Rochelle. Give me more.

[Moonmaiden61]

Rochelle, thank you for an interesting and informative read. While many of us are familiar with the visions, prophecies and predictions of Nostradamus through his quattrains, many of us do not know the man behind the famous writings. Thank you for shining a light on the real human being with his inner conflicts, personal tragedies and pain. This was a fascinating piece of work from you...please write on! We look forward to reading more.

[Moonmaiden61]

Rochelle, this is an interesting and informative read...totally fascinating! While most of us are familiar with Nostradamus' gifts--the visions and prophecies and predictions he delivered through his quattrains-- few of us know about the real man and his inner struggles and personal conflicts and pain. Thank you for an enlightening piece of work! Please write on...we look forward to reading more from you!

[MEwilde]

I chose a Nostradamus Century at random (VI), and stopped cold on 13. On the night before Super Tuesday, I"d written, "American elections are decided by those whose interests are most at stake: people and institutions who control money; and they always choose the candidate who enables them in their enterprise without hindrance. The bet is always hedged in favor of the officeholder most beholden.

"Obama threatens the status quo. Hillary ensures that the secret is safe."

The day after: "The Hillary fait accompli is that all the superdelegates are voting for her, for precisely the reasons described. In other words, Hillary wins no matter what, even if Obama outnumbers her in the Congressional District delegate count.

"I"ve gazed into the crystal and it keeps coming up Hillary ¦"

That was before Texas and Ohio, and before the Florida Michigan mishegoss. Then I came across this, from Nostradamus:

VI 13

A doubtful one will not come far from the realm,
The greater part will want to uphold him:
A Capitol will not want him to reign at all,
He will be unable to bear his great burden.

Weird, huh? Fantastic is the word.

[BSF]

Terrific column. Enjoyed it immensely.

[jbleone]

Nostradamus prediction about this election sounds all too true...
Keep on blogging Rochelle, we love reading it!

[Rochelle Jewel Shapiro - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you again. Rochelle

[vdzack]

I'm such a skeptic...these prognostications/interpretations can be applied to so many events. But...I'll come back for more!

[Rochelle Jewel Shapiro - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you so much, Victoria. Any comment keeps me going.

[shelbourn]

This gives a whole new view to Nostradamus, a name I have heard of, but never associated with.
The pedictions are incredible but also I see the man.
Rochelle has done a wonderful presentation

[Rochelle Jewel Shapiro - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you so much, Shelbourn.

[MJRose]

I love this column... I've always found N an amazing historical figure. There might even be something about this election in his writings - I heard that his predictions go very far into the future.

[saralee42]

Rochelle "Jewel's" column dazzles with insights. I've read a great deal about N but never about his interest in Kabala and numerology. And there is never a bad time to remind how accurate his predictions were. Can't wait to read more.

[Rochelle Jewel Shapiro - Huffpost Blogger]

Some of his predictions are vague and general, but there is no doubt that some are true. Once, when he was invited to dinner at someone's house, he foresaw that they would be eating a white pig. To throw him off, the guy told his cook to prepare the black pig for dinner. When the guy announced it during dinner, Nostradamus argued with him, insisting it was the white pig. The cook was brought in. The cook admitted that a tame wolf came intot he kitchen and gobbled up the black pig, so he cooked the white one and didn't tell because he was afraid the lord would be angry. Enough to make you vegetarian, no?

[Rochelle Jewel Shapiro - Huffpost Blogger]

Yes, his predictions go somewhere inot 3000. He proedicts ecological and religious disasters. Oy!

[stannan]

That was one amazing man. Aside from being a great psychic he obviously was a political animal.

[chestnutoak]

Thank you, Rochelle, for not only highlighting the poetry and accuracy of his predictions, but also for painting a picture of Nostradamus as a person. I had never before thought about the his knowledge and personal tragedy weighed on him as an individual.

[cthorson]

The ability to leverage the power of the mind is amazing. We as humans neglect our natural abilities and tune out the real and tune in with the TV. Rochelle and her gifts are real and she reminds us of innate abilities so few of us ever tap into. Beyond instinct, beyond reason, but true and real. Hurrah for Rochelle and sharing her gift.

[cyblake]

Enjoyed this very much. If only Nostradamus were around today, we could do away with all the pollsters! We'd just ask HIM what was going to happen...especially in terms of the election. And think of all the money that would be saved not paying for all those political commercials!

[charlesvincent]

What did Nostradamus say in court to defend himself? Was he able to make Clintonesque statements to confuse and deflect blame?

[CarLeav]

Another fantastic post and utterly fascinating.