Though somehow it is frequently brought to attention from time to time, these days with the help of those trying to make circulation with mystery everywhere is full of Nostradamus prophecies. Do not misunderstand, this is not true only for our country, the same wind blows all over the world, the same material is put on show with a different wrapping. Last week, prophecies about the election of the new Pope and the familiar “doomsday” appeal were all over the world media. The depressive and disturbing thing about this is; if you go out to inquire “Who is Nostradamus?” nine out of the ten will say that he is a “fortuneteller, magician, and soothsayer”. Yet, it is rarely known that Michel de Nostre-Dame was a very important scientist four hundred and fifty years ago.   

Western media loves to interpret Nostradamus prophecies and to carry these to headlines from time to time (especially at global crisis times). After the September 11 incident, you might recall that a quatrain went around: if you switched it around a little while interpreting, it conveyed the incident of the “Twin Towers”, giving way to an international war and this was put forward as “Nostradamus even knew the September 11 incidents” Yet, it was soon clear that this quatrain was altogether a made up one, written down by those to tease others and it had nothing to do with Nostradamus prophecies.
 

Also last week, after the passing away of the Pope, first the prophecies of St. Malaki were around (this 111th. Pope after Celetine will be the last one incident) immediately followed by Nostradamus’s words interpreted as the Pope after John Paul will be assassinated followed by the invasion of the West by Muslims and the downfall of Rome. These prophecies were disputed all over the West. The situation with us was a little different: our media loves to use “doomsday”. (Must be because it makes a better circulation)   

Now, if you go out with a camera like one of our well known herald and ask people who Nostradamus is, most will say that he was a “fortuneteller, magician, soothsayer”; or “doomsday foreteller”. As though “Breath healer Father Michel”. Even though the person mentioned is famous with his text called “Centuries” which is considered as foretelling and hence the entire world is trying to interpret, yet he was one of the most illuminated, the most extraordinary and the cleverest scientist of the sixteenth century. Unfortunately, only a minority is aware of this. And most probably the master resents this in his grave; having had a well medicine education, having done so much scientific research, having been one of the best masters of botany, chemistry and pharmacology and having been called a “Breath Healer Foreteller” for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Michel de Nostre-Dame was born in France, St. Remy, in 1503. Grandfather Jacques de Nostre-Dame was the private doctor to the King René of Province and he was a great master of botany. Michel followed after him, even as a small child he was very familiar with herbs and their qualities, gathered information on herbal healing of diseases and experimented with them. Dr. Nostre-Dame studied medicine in Montpellier University, at the same time he followed the family tradition (maybe coming even before his grandfather) and he used his botany knowledge to his medicine practice: he had knowledge about and was familiar with all the herbs of Middle and South Europe and he also was an expert on chemistry. Hence, he used his knowledge and mind on pharmacological areas, discovered many “miracle” medicines for the “nightmare” type of diseases of his time. In sixteenth century while the “Black Death” was threatening all Europe, Michel de Nostre-Dame was traveling all over France with his bag and herbs collected from everywhere and healed many (he was considered to be immune to plague).

Like most scientists of his time, Nostre-Dame worked under great pressure because the Church was accusing and labeling the distinguished and researching scientists with “witch crafting”. Hence, most of the time he had to work under great secrecy. Again, like most scientists of his time, he was interested in many different disciplines and besides his mastery in medicine, botany and pharmacology; he was deeply interested in astronomy, collected all the old documents he could and tried to inspect all the registered ones. The atmosphere of sixteenth century and the pressure of the Church, forced the scientists to go “underground”, they pursued the “old” wisdom like blind and hence inevitably their way crossed with the occultism, they had to go through the “forbidden science”, hence it was hard to distinguish between the right and wrong. It may be because of this, or may be because of his strong intuitions Michel de Nostre-Dame was very deeply involved in astrology and “prophecy art” for a period of time. Most probably it was this ability of his that made him Catherine de Medici’s favorite and carried him to the palace.

“Centuries” is just one of his many works. Written in quatrains, maybe it has the influence of the old myths, maybe just shows the passionate need of the great scientist to foretell the future. Today there are hundreds of “interpreters” all around the world and they are trying to put special meanings to these quatrains by distorting them to suite their purposes. From ear to ear, it is said that most of the prophecies “hold”. This is completely another story and frankly I am not interested at all. But what truly hurts, a scientist having mastered herbs, chemistry and written books on these; having written the first “cosmetic” book; having cured many epidemic diseases and having been the hope of poor people and the “miracle doctor”, is today recalled as a “breath healer, fortune teller” and known with his “doomsday prophecies”.   

Under the “very risky” conditions of the sixteenth century for a scientist, he used his knowledge and abilities to heal people, spent sleepless tiring days and nights without any material expectation; I respectfully commemorate this great master and say “Forgive us Master Michel”, “We belong to the twenty first century, we need the doomsday prophecies, this is why we are only interested in your quatrains, manage with this much.”      

Ha, his prophecies hold or not, I don’t know about these; I leave this subject to “prophecy interpreting specialists”.