Painting of Nostradamus Source
Early Life
Nostradamus, the man credited with predicting events such as the rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, 9/11, and the French Revolution, was born on December 21, 1503 in Provence, France. He was an astrologer and physician renowned throughout Europe, recognized for his ability to predict the future as well as being successful in curing his patients of the plague.
Nostradamus was one of nine children, and although little is known about his childhood, he was recorded as being very intelligent. He progressed quickly through his schooling, and his tutor ( his grandfather), saw a great amount of potential in the young Nostradamus. From his grandfather, he learned the basics of Jewish traditions and astrological concepts, which laid out a foundation for his view of how the skies played a vital role in human destiny.
At the age of 14, Nostradamus attended the University of Avignon to pursue a medical career. After a year there, the bubonic plague broke out, forcing him to leave. In his time away from higher education, Nostradamus traveled around the countryside of France. His travels led him to studying the properties of herbal medicine, and this in turn led to him working as an apothecary. In 1522, Nostradamus decided to finish his schooling at the University of Montpelier and completed his doctorate. He didn’t agree with the teachings of the Catholic Priests at the time, and unsurprisingly, they in turn didn’t agree with his affinity towards astrology. Despite his conflicts with the priests, he still received his medical certification in 1525, and as per academic tradition, changed his name from Nostredame to Nostradamus.
With the outbreak of the plague still affecting Europe, Nostradamus packed his bags and travelled throughout France and Italy, trying his best to aid the lives of any inflicted individuals he came across. Although there were no known remedies at the time, with the best options being bloodletting, mercury-infused potions, and garlic garments, Nostradamus paved the way for future medical practices and developed basic procedures for dealing with the outbreak. He promoted better hygiene and the removal of dead bodies from the street to prevent spreading. In treating his patients, he helped provide them relief by administering herbal lozenges enriched with vitamin C. Nostradamus’ cure rate was astoundingly successful for his historical period, and much of this is due to how he kept his patients clean, put them on healthy diets low in fat, and made sure they got plenty of fresh air.
For his success, he became somewhat of a local celebrity and even received financial support from Provence’s citizens. In 1531, he started working with Jules-Cesar Scaliger in Agen, France, as well as marrying and having two children. Three years later, his wife and children succumbed to the plague, and due to his failure to cure them, he fell out of favor with the public and Scaliger.
Transition into the Occult
Occult Anatomy of ManDisliked by the people around him, and after being charged with heresy because of an ill-advised comment about a religious statue, Nostradamus chose to leave his hometown of Provence and embarked on a spiritual journey. He traveled throughout Italy, Greece, and Turkey, stopping at various ancient schools. It was in these schools that Nostradamus experienced a psychic awakening, becoming the man who is famous today.
Some legends tell about how Nostradamus met a group of Franciscan monks, and from his visions, he identified one of the monks as being the future Pope. This monk, called Felice Peretti, later became Pope Sixtus V in 1585. It is not known just how Nostradamus was able to make this prediction, but he seemingly did so with little information as he had barely met the monk.
After his awakening, Nostradamus returned to his hometown of Provence in France in 1547. He married for a second time, to Anne Ponsarde, and they had six children together, three boys and three girls. Nostradamus also began writing and published two books: a translation of Galen, the Roman physician; and The Traite des Fardemens, a medical cookbook on how to treat the plague.
It was at this time that Nostradamus began to move away from medicine and started delving into the occult. Reports state that he was seen spending his nights meditating over a bowl containing a mixture of herbs and water. From these meditations, he went into a trance and had visions. These visions, according to Nostradamus, were the source of his predictions about the future. He then compiled all these visions into an almanac and published it to great public acclaim.
In response to popular demand, Nostradamus decided to create Centuries, a collection of all his visions.