Nostradamus
QUESTION: Masters, how can one explain the prophecies of Nostradamus, whose spiritual vision anticipated innumerable world events. Today, we can only understand their messages after the events. How could it be possible to take advantage of the anticipated vision of the prophet? ~Duda, Brazil
ANSWER: There is a cult following concerning the interpretation of the books attributed to the man known as Nostradamus. Historical archivists have proven that there are literally hundreds of different versions of the work supposedly written by him, each “translated” by a different individual. He used archaic French plus Latin, Greek, and many other languages and literary techniques. A large portion of his ten books of prophecy contained material previously found in the writings of other prophets of the time period. Because of this conglomeration of material, “interpretations” have to be made in order for them to be understood in the language of the present time.
As you point out, only after an event can a believer allegedly substantiate a prophecy by the interpretation they give to the prose from the selected translation. In his day, Nostradamus, who referred to himself as a physician even though he was thrown out of physician’s training for engaging in practices forbidden to medical personnel, claimed to treat people using astrology and other techniques. He was constantly called to task for misinterpretations from many experts in the various fields.
While Nostradamus was sincere in his work, he did not have the training necessary to be an expert. He took material for his writings from poets, scientists, and other seers of the time. He was not a spiritual seeker. His background was Judaism and Catholicism. He constantly thought he was going to be persecuted for his prognostications.
The followers of today who attribute accurate forecasts to him need to supply a different set of translations to each of his four-line verses. Even within the same page one is unable to apply the same constructive language to consecutive verses. To use these writings (whichever version you select) to forecast the future, you would have to infer that something will happen based upon something ongoing in the world. Then you would have to change the facts as time elapses, something that is occurring with today’s use of these writings.