|
|
|
|
Nostradamus Biography
The renowned prophet Michel de Nostradame was born on
His family had converted from Judaism to Christianity in 1502, as a
result of persecution on the ascension of Louis XII. After a classical
education he studied medicine, herbalism and astrology.
Growing up Nostradamus spent much of his time learning languages, math, astronomy, and astrology from his grandfather, Jean. Later he attended the University at
Nostradamus can indisputably be said to have been ahead of his time,
at least in terms of medical practice. His treatment of the bubonic
plague involved removal of the infected corpses, fresh air and
unpolluted water for the healthy, an herbal preparation rich in Vitamin
C, and (in contravention of contemporary medical practice) not bleeding
his patients.
Around 1534 he married and began a family. Tragically, the bubonic
plague, which he had been so successful in treating previously, took
the lives of his wife and two children. (The names of his wife and
children are not known)
He eventually settled down in the town of
It was during this time that he began his career as a prophet. In
1555, at the age of 52, he wrote his first collection of Centuries - a
set of 100 quatrains. Over the next several years he would complete a
total of 10 Centuries. Nostradamus referred to the ten chapters of his
famous book, The Centuries, as "centuries", although they have nothing
to do with 100-year cycles. Each of the centuries (or chapters) contain
100 prophetic quatrains, except for Century VII, which has 42, for a
total of 942 prophecies.
Nostradamus had the visions which he later recorded in verse while staring into water or flame late at night, sometimes aided by herbal stimulants, while sitting on a brass tripod. The resulting quatrains (four line verses) are oblique and elliptical, and use puns, anagrams and allegorical imagery.
He was often refered to as the prophet of doom because of the
visions he had involving death and war. His followers say he predicted
the French Revolution, the birth and rise to power of Hitler, and the
assassination of John F. Kennedy. His prophetic vision....942 cryptic
poems called "The Centuries" groups in sets of 100. A single verse is
commonly called a quatrain and 100 quatrains a Centurie. They have
enthralled generation after generation of readers. He predicted some of
history's most monumental events from the Great Fire of London (1666)
to the destruction of the space shuttle Challenger.
Some of his prophecies are chilling, literal descriptions of events,
giving specific or near-specific names, geographic locations,
astrological configurations, and sometimes actual dates. It is this
quality of both vagueness and specificity which allows each new
generation to reinterpret his work.
In 1564 Nostradamus was appointed Royal Physician to King Charles IX.
Michel Nostradamus is said to have predicted his own death. When his assistant wished him goodnight on
|
Nostradamus was interred standing upright in the Church of the
Cordeliers of Salon. However, his story does not end there; he was
disinterred twice, once on purpose and once maliciously. In 1700, his body was moved by the city to a more prominent crypt.
When a necklace was found on his skeleton bearing the date '1700', his
body was hurriedly reinterred. |
During the French Revolution, in 1791, some drunken soldiers broke
into his tomb. The mayor quickly placated the mob by describing how
Nostradamus had predicted the revolution, and they replaced the bones
in the crypt.
However, Nostradamus had the last laugh. In Century 9, Quatrain 7, he had written:
The man who opens the tomb when it is found
And who does not close it immediately,
Evil will come to him
That no one will be able to prove.
Reputedly, the soldiers who desecrated his tomb for the final time were ambushed on their way back to base and killed to the last man.
It was rumored that a very secret document existed in his coffin,
that would decode his prophecies. In 1700, the coffin was moved to a
prominent wall of the Church. Careful not to disturb his body a quick
look inside revealed an amulet on his skeleton, with the year 1700 on
it. One night in 1791 during the French Revolution, soldiers from
Under the Oak (coffin) lightening strikes in Gienne.
Not far from there (Salon) is hidden the treasure
For after long centuries it is grabed
Found, shall die, eye pierced by a spring (of a trigger).
Nostradamus Letter to his son Ceasar
bravenet.com