Prophecies of Nostradamus and the message that Nostradamus left us

Did Nostradamus really predict the future of the world, or did he relate his individual experience in poetic and symbolic language? In the course of this century, people have often tried to decipher the text of the famous prophecies of Nostradamus who, during his lifetime, acquired fame and fortune for his talents as a seer. However, you can neither read nor interpret these impenetrable texts without considering the customs, concerns, and mentality of the men of the Renaissance as well as the social, cultural, and political context of this period. It follows from this, that you cannot say or believe that all the ‘translations’ of the works of Nostradamus which are available are reliable and truthful.

Indeed, under cover of the prognostications – this was the name given to the almanacs containing the yearly astrological prophecies which were published and circulated in France – Nostradamus joined the descendants of the biblical prophets and the great mystics of the Middle Ages. Like Champollion who deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyphics, will anyone ever be able to translate the language used by Nostradamus, since it was set out as a poetic discourse with a visionary and prophetic character, based on a mythical and symbolic interpretation of the world and of life?

In such poetic language, the rhymes, the sounds, and the images or the impressions which it gives, get in the way of a rational or factual interpretation. Nostradamus got this gift of poetry from divine inspiration and, following the example of Pierre de Ronsard, who was his contemporary and admirer, he likened it to a gift for prophecy. In fact, it was a principle, today we would say a fashion, among the poets of the Renaissance, who, when referring to the arts of Antiquity, would associate poetic science with spiritual reasoning.

Also, you can learn all about the 12 zodiac signs on our website(about compatibilities, personality traits, and much more).

How Did Nostradamus Prophesy?

It was by re-visiting the ancient traditions of divination by water and fire, i.e. hydromancy and pyromancy, and also by using the science of the stars, that Nostradamus, for nights on end, would consult the oracles, talking to the angels (which was common practice in all the occult philosophy of the Renaissance), and carrying out the rites of initiation which were commonly practiced in Antiquity. During the course of these sessions, he had prophetic visions which he transcribed in the form of poetic quatrains in a symbolic language.

What message has Nostradamus left us?

Joining the mystical ways of thinking of his time, notably those of the Christian kabbalists who were themselves inspired by the wisdom and understanding of the wise men, philosophers, and poets of Antiquity, Nostradamus drew his prophetic visions from the magic and science of Antiquity. But what he saw, like all the prophets and seers before him, he could not translate and transmit to the world at large other than through a poetic and symbolic language in which each person would find his own interpretation.

Talking about the prophecies of Nostradamus we should mention, that it is true that vision and prediction come from the same principle. But the language used by Nostradamus can only be perceived and understood within the framework of a mystical individual experience, similar to that which he himself lived through. That is the true message contained in his quatrains.

All those who have thought that they could find simple historical predictions within the quatrains have been mistaken. For everything that Michel de Nostredame prophesied in the sunset of his life, was a spiritual individual experience that he had very much wanted to pass on to the world so that each person would perhaps aspire to live it in his turn just as Nostradamus had done.