For those not educated in fortune tellers who have been dead for nearly 500 years, Nostradamus was a reputed Roman Catholic, physician,  and apothecary.   He survived the Black Plague, attempted to find a cure, and had several children.  One of his many admirers was Catherine de Medicis – a very wealthy and influential woman who just happened to be married to King Henry II.

He is famous for his books The Prophecies,  The Almanacs, and multiple books on the healing arts.  After all, he was a healer and I like to think had the best intentions of others at heart.  Nostradamus exposed heedless exposed himself to the Black Plague and other illness just to help ease suffering in a time without medical advances, without clean water, without sterilization.   I’m not saying that he’s a saint, but he placed others before him.   Something very rare, no matter what age we live.

Most people probably don’t realize that he was a healer as his society assigned title – prophet – is more marketable.   I guess I could be bitter about that a little.   Society forgets average good men who go above and beyond for no apparent reason.   However, if there’s a controversy of some sort, the man is golden and will always have some sort of historical footnote.

Nostradamus, remember he’s been dead for nearly 500 years, has been given credit for predicting 9/11, the Challenger explosion, and Hitler.  The man predicted the death of Diana, the Princess of Wales, Napoleon, and the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In short, just about every global situation that could impact society appears in his quatrains – written in ancient French – and coated deeply with symbolism.    I guess you could say he’s the ultimate “I told you so” in history.

“I told you so…” is simply because people reflect back upon his books after the situations happen.   In retrospect, doesn’t:

Earth-shaking fires from the world’s centre roar:
Around ‘New City’ is the earth a-quiver.
Two nobles long shall wage a fruitless war,
The nymph of springs pour forth a new, red river.

—  this sound kind of like the Twin Towers to you?

Anyway, consider what’s happened that has impacted society.   The election of Trump.  Hurricane Harvey.  North Korea.  Charlottesville.  The eclipse.  The influx of refugees.  Brexit.

That’s a lot of stuff and it’s just what I can rattle from the top of my head.  I’m sure there more – a lot more – that would fall into the Nostradamus realm.

So, where are all our scholars?
I know I can’t be the only one thinking about Nostradamus and wondering if he’s keeping up his “I told you so” track record.  I’d look for myself, but I’m in America.  —  Not that that’s a bad thing, but I can’t trust any of the available translations.   I’m too much of an academic snob for that.  I need primary sources and, in this case, my French would definitely not cut the Gray Poupon.

If anyone happens to know anything to help me out, I would appreciate it – even if it is just for speculation and debate.

And I fully don’t expect to get an answer, but you never can tell, right?