| INTERPRETATION OF QUATRAIN VI - 35 OR THE QUATRAIN ABOUT "ORION AND THE WHITE WOOL" |
As an astrologer, I have always found the quatrains of Nostradamus that mentioned astrological phenomena
particularly interesting. One that I always recognized by the translation of others is the one known as Centurie VI
(Six), number 35. It goes like this:
Near to Orion, and close to the white wool,
Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, the Virgin:
Mars, Jupiter, the Sun will burn great the plain,
Wood & cities, letters hidden in the candle.
So much astrology is there, but so little makes sense. Of course, I had read it explained that the “white wool” was
“the Milky Way,” of which Orion, and all the zodiac signs are parts of this galaxy. Still, even with that explanation,
what is the importance of that statement? Orion is the mythological “Hunter”, with a noticeable “belt”, and its upper
left star, denoting Orion’s “club raised in the air,” is at the foot of the constellation of Gemini. Gemini is the one sign
not mentioned in the second line, so what does this mean?
In my efforts to break every quatrain down into understandable matrices, it came to my attention that Nostradamus
did not write “Orion.” He actually wrote, “Rion”, which I always assumed was a legitimate word in another language
that meant, “Orion.” As far as I have been able to determine, there is nothing that supports a conclusion that “Rion”
equals “Orion”, and in the world of logical analysis, one cannot jump to that conclusion without reason to support
such a leap.
What one can reason, and this comes from some length of deep study of The Prophecies, is that by seeing a
misspelled word in the form of a simple anagram becomes a legitimate way to understand an otherwise unintelligible
word. In this regard, rules do apply.
For instance, when a misplaced letter is one accepted to be recognized as an abbreviation for a precedent article or
pronoun, whereas “l” can be seen as “le”, or “s” can be seen as “se”, when placed at the front of a word, connected
by an apostrophe, a letter not written can be assumed to be intended. An example would be the word “Jeusne” is not
a correctly spelled word, but to see it as, “s’Jeune”, would make it possible to translate as, “se Jeune” (“one Young”,
or “itself young”, etc.), where the “e” of “se” was not written.
This allowance is only made for commonly abbreviated French words, which are found in a French dictionary defined
as to be read as a word with more letters. Otherwise, one cannot assume it to be acceptable to add letters to make a
word, which was written without that letter. An example is “Rion”. This word has one “o”, and it is not allowable to
simply create another “o”, making it become “Orion”.
This means, if no known language (French, Latin, Occitan, Arpetan, and Catalan, for examples) spells “Orion” as
“Rion”, then “Rion” is not “Orion.” If “Rion” is not a known word, as spelled in that order of letters, then those letters,
and only those letters, can be rearranged to find a new possibility. In the case of “Rion”, it becomes “Noir”, the
French word meaning, “black, dark, or obscure.” It is also a simple anagram, being spelled backwards to become
“Rion.”
This immediately becomes significant, simply because Nostradamus wrote the word “blanche”, meaning “white, or
hoary”, in the same line. This change to Noir brings a symmetry to a line that has to find meaning, as it is the main
theme line of the whole quatrain. We have not changed the line into a statement that says, “Nearby to Black, close to
white wool”.
With “Rion” no longer making one think “Orion,” the element of space and the heavens disappears, where “Black”
and “white” are both in proximity to one another, symbolized by the word, “laine”, or “wool.” This makes me think of
sheep, and in particular the nursery rhyme, “Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?” This then, to me, is symbolic
of two flocks of sheep, where one is Black, and the other is white. While different in color, they are still of the same
breed of animal.
Still, the use of “wool” seems to be the one word that keeps the main theme statement from standing out. This means
that one is now free to closer examine the word “laine”, to see it if has any other alternative meanings. As “laine” it
can only mean, “wool,” but when those letters become separated, as “l’aine”, it leads to another form of spelling for
aine”.
The 1611 Old French dictionary shows “ain” as defined under “haim”. The use of an “h” is silent, such that some Old
French words have lost the “h” since. This means that one needs to look up the word, “haim”, to see if it had a form
ending with an “e”. While “haim”, and thus “ain”, meant “fishing hook”, with no “e” ending, there was (and still is) the
word “haine” to be considered. The word “haine” means, “hate, hatred, loathing, detesting, malice, a grudge, and ill-
will.” In a modern French dictionary it shows as, “’haine”, with an apostrophe. This then becomes a viable
translation, instead of “wool”, although “wool” is the primary intention, to denote “sheep of different colors.”
With this new addition, line one now states, “Near to Black, close with white the hatred,” or by losing the “l”, as
converted to “h”, it can state, “Nearby to Black, neighboring with white ill-will”. When each word is read separately,
before it becomes joined with any others, one now sees the main theme appears as a level of “hatred” between
“Black” and “white”. The question now becomes, “How can it be “Nearby” and “close to” this “hatred”?
The answer is found in what is not stated, rather than what is stated. The key to this understanding is the consistent
symbolic usage of color (where black and white, although not colors, do fall into this symbolic category), where black
relates to Islam, and white relates to Christianity. In purely geographic terms, on the most general perspective,
Muslims primarily live in the Middle East (Asia Minor), with Christians primarily living in Europe, regardless of any
colonial expansions to other pockets of the world. This means “Nearby” and “close to” are words of proximity, relative
to those geographies.
The use of capitalization then becomes an important factor. The words “Nearby” and “Black” are capitalized, whereas
“close to” and “white” are in the lower case. Capitalization shows importance, such that the segment of line one, up
to the comma break, is all about the importance of “Nearby to Black”. With the word près having the meanings,
“near, by, nearby, fast by, hard by, near upon, nigh unto, well-nigh, and as it were touching”, these meaning can be
seen as being “in” the Middle East, while being apart from the Islamic Middle East. The importance of capitalization
then implies an equal importance to “Black”, which is not black (Muslim), but “close to white”. This can only mean the
important presence of Israel, and the Jewish people, “as it were touching” the lands of Muslims.
By stating, “close to white,” the Jews are in proximity to the Christian world, which is found in Europe, as close as
Greece, which was the center of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Rome, and the Roman Catholic Church, is not much
further away. Still, while Europeans are called a race (a skin color distinction) of white peoples, Caucasians, Jews are
not considered such. They have their own race, separate from their religion, which is also Jewish. Therefore, as
“close to white” as they appear, they are not white, just as they are not black.
This leaves the word “hatred” to be the reason why the unstated Jews are, “Nearby to Black, close to white”. That
reason is the “hatred’ found from both Muslims and Christians (historically founded), which has returned the Jews to a
land that was once promised to them by God, but since lost to their “Black” brothers. This means that all, Muslim,
Christian, and Jew, come from the same original flock of Abraham, only long since split into separate groups. In other
words, all are valued for their wool.
The overall effect of line one, the main theme for the whole quatrain, is that it becomes seen as a very specific
statement of reality, where there is animosity between religions. The overall theme of all of The Prophecies is the
animosity between religions will lead to a great Holy War, which will leave the earth a desolate place. Therefore, the
main theme of this quatrain is in line with the main theme of Nostradamus greater work. It reflects the macro as the
micro.
Astrology reflects this by its using “As above, so below” as its motto. Thus, having lines two and three reflect
astrology, where some zodiac signs are stated in the secondary theme (line two), with some planets, along with “the
Sun”, are mentioned in line three. Together, lines two and three seem to be doing little more than naming different
astrological-astronomical elements, but closer inspection, with an eye to the deeper meanings of astrological
symbolism, yields more than just a stream of names associated with our solar system.
Line two, as the secondary theme, has to make some statement relative to the main theme statement, which is the
proximity of the religions of the one God, and a residual hatred between them. However, by line two stating, “Aries,
Taurus, Cancer, Leo, the Virgin”, this seems to add nothing concrete.
To make sense of line two, one has to realize that the star constellations are not part of our solar system, per se.
This means the signs have nothing to do with the very distant stars. They have only to do with one star, our Sun.
The signs mark the placement of the Sun’s movements, such that the sign Aries marks the Sun’s placement, when it
is in alignment with the earth’s equator, at the time called the Vernal Equinox. Thus, to see Nostradamus write,
“Aries,” the meaning is, “The Sun’s movement through the area known as Aries.” This then becomes a statement of
timing, where one sign equals one month’s time, with the specific time relative to Aries being that between (roughly)
March 21 and April 20, each year.
With the series of signs listed in line two being in a natural order of the Sun’s movement, and the last sign being that
of Virgo, which is (roughly) the time between August 23 and September 22, the result of line two is a six month
period. This period covers all of the Spring and Summer months. Thus, the secondary theme is one of timing, which
becomes specific to the main theme of hatred between three religions.
Still, just as the focus of the main theme was the Jewish people, and their religion, without being either Black or white,
as unwritten, between the lines, there is something not stated in line two that becomes important by its omission.
That is the sign Gemini, which comes between Taurus and Cancer, but is not mentioned in the timing series of the
secondary theme. This omission is then an understanding of a period when the hatred will not be an issue. This
could be seen as a time of rest from hostilities, or some lull in the storm. With so much animosity known to be a
constant in the Middle East, the period of Gemini could be a time of a cease-fire agreement. Such can be gleaned
from understanding the signs as a timing element.
Further, the translation of “la Vierge” as “Virgo’ is not completely correct. The French word for Virgo is Vierge,
without the need for an attached article. It is, therefore, best seen as “the Virgin,” where the capitalization means an
important Virgin. In fact, the feminine article, la, when seen as the adverb, `, translates as, “there”, such that the end
of line two says, “there Virgin”. When “there” becomes relative to the geography of line one, where the main theme is
telling of there Near, and there close to, line two is then identifying there as being where the important Virgin is known
to be related. Of course, that Virgin is the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, a Jew, who lived among Gentiles, of both
Roman and non-Roman descent (later to become Christians and Muslims). This confirms the religious element of the
main theme.
Next, the astrological elements of line two becomes an indication of the signs each ruled by different planets. Aries is
ruled by Mars. Taurus is ruled by Venus. Cancer is ruled by the Moon. Leo is ruled by the Sun; and Virgo is ruled
by Mercury. By skipping over Gemini, which is also ruled by Mercury, the element of Mercury rule becomes the last in
this series, rather than third.
The series is then stating the symbolic essence each sign represents, according to the planetary rulership. As such,
Self-importance (as capitalization indicates), the essence of Aries, is the first step in the hatred process. This is a
lack of concern for the feelings and desires of others, and is at the center of the problems the Middle East faces,
ever since the artificial return of the Jews to Israel.
This is then followed by Value-importance, the capitalized essence of Taurus. This is the worth that all sides see in
Israel, as the Holy Land for three religions. Each side has feeling for this land, for three different reasons. Each
values his own, while caring nothing about the other’s feelings of value.
This is then followed by the Mothering-importance, coming from the Moon’s rulership over Cancer. The Moon, just as
the color Black, represents Islam, according to Nostradamus, and as evidenced in the flags of many Muslim nations.
The land that has become Israel (post-1948 version) is seen as necessary for nurturing Islam, while protecting those
cast out, the Palestinians.
This is then followed by the Ego-importance, which is the essence of the Sun’s rulership over Leo. Just as the Moon
represents Islam, the Sun represents Christianity, as Jesus is the light and the way. This is the element of
Christianity that has placed Israel on Palestinian soil, then staunchly protected that seizure, not from deep feelings for
the land, but from an egocentric flattery, as the ones who gave to the Jews what only God had given before.
Finally, the sign of Virgo, whose rule by Mercury indicates the thought processes that become internalized as routine
patterns and organizational skills, represents the constant need for communication and planning, so that peace can
be obtained. This, again, is not from a heartfelt need to understand all opposing views, but from a simple need to
see the entire issue as a problem solving exercise, with accepting an option that returns to the source of the problem,
and reverses the damage that was begun with the theft of Arab land.
The skipping over of the sign Gemini, which is also ruled by Mercury, is a statement of its own merit. The symbolic
essence of Gemini is multiplicity, which in the focus of geography becomes multi-ethnic environments, which Palestine
was prior to the Zionist movements that began in the late 19th century. Before men plotted the artificial takeover of
land, for selfish reasons, Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived in relative peace and harmony in the region that was
Palestine, Lebanon, and Transjordan. The essence of Gemini, and the house it rules (the third house, as the third
sign), is siblings and neighbors, where although there will be differences and arguments, everyone is basically
“family”, so squabbles get settled to maintain all living together. Through such arrangements, one learns (a Mercury
related task) how to understand different types of people. Line tow’s omission of this sign is a clear indication of the
timing of this quatrain being after the artificial creation of the State of Israel, through United Nations approval, in 1948.
This means that the main theme of hatred is developed further in line two’s secondary theme, where the timing of this
hatred is relative to when the United States and Great Britain began to give their increasing support for the concept
and idea of a rebirth of Israel. It is not related to the time period prior to the late 19th century, and only slightly before
the end of World War I. The hatred increased once Great Britain and France were given Mandate of the Middle
Eastern lands that formerly were under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire. The years following World War I also
became a watershed period for hatred of Jews in Europe, which led to the mass extermination of millions of Jews
during the Nazi Holocaust. As much as the Nazis were responsible for the killings, no major Western European
government raised any objection to the round-up of Jews, all across the areas controlled by Adolph Hitler, including
the Roman Catholic Church. Jewish extermination was allowed due to an repressed hatred, based on jealousies and
fears created by the Roman Catholic Church’s condemnation of both Jews and Arabs. This growing hatred reached
a pinnacle when the Labor camps were discovered and made public in 1945. A European problem, which has existed
for centuries, became so exposed the easiest solution was to give them their own land back, even though that land
had been lost two thousand years before, and was part of the land known as Palestine. Line two then covers this
time of growing hatred, up to the eve of the recreation of the State of Israel.
Line three is then the period that began when the British announced they would be relinquishing their mandated
control of Palestine. With the creation of the United Nations, its first major order of business was to develop a
Partition Plan for Palestine. This plan would recognize roughly half of Palestine to be deemed Israel, while the other
half would be deemed Palestine, with some places being pockets of Jewish settlements, surrounded by land
separated as Palestinian. This plan met with stiff opposition, such that once the British announced their leaving from
Palestine date, a Civil War broke out, where armed Jewish settlers took up defensive positions against Palestinian
Arabs, all while the British were still in Palestine. However, the British were reluctant to cease this fighting.
From this beginning of armed conflict, we can see how line three, which states, “Mars, Jupiter, the Sun will burn great
plain,” the use of Mars becomes symbolic of the War that began to be the face of hatred in the region. This became
official in 1948, once the British had removed all presence, when the Jews declared a War of Independence,
becoming an independent nation, one recognized by the U.N. In this War, the Israelis took control of land that had
been partitioned as for Palestinians. No Palestinian state was ever declared, or recognized as an organized nation,
such that in 1949 over 700,000 Palestinians fled the newly declared Israel, becoming refugees. The land areas
known as the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and the Gaza strip, which had been partitioned as Palestinian, became
annexed by Jordan (Transjordan), Syria, and Egypt, respectively. All of these nations, as well as Iraq, had sent
expeditionary forces to Palestine to fight against the Israelis. These nations would again declare War on Israel, in
1967 (the Six Days War).
While Mars is easily understood as associated with War, as that was the name of the Roman god of War, Jupiter is
probably less understood in that symbolic manner. Jupiter is known as the planet that symbolizes “growth and
Expansion”, because as the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter represents doing things in grand style.
Following the Six Days War, Israel did indeed expand, taking control of the West Bank, the entire Sinai Peninsula,
including the Gaza strip, and the Golan Heights. This led to another War, in 1973, known as the Yom Kippur War,
where Egypt and Syria, assisted by Iraq, attempted to overthrow the expanded control of the Israeli forces in the
Golan Heights, and along the East Bank of the Suez Canal. Israel also easily defended its security positions
protecting the Golan Heights, and as a result of the 1973 defeat of the Syrians, increased its settlements there,
initiating the Golan Heights Law in 1981. This law, which was condemned by the United Nations and the people of the
Golan Heights, covered the region under Israeli law and administration. Syria, however, still provides government
assistance to the people living there, with the land officially classified as “Israeli occupied.” This means that Israel
found Expansion easy, following War.
Following the name Jupiter, Nostradamus wrote “le Sol”, which is the Roman spelling for “the Sun”. The French word
for Sun is “soleil”, and although the Old French saw Sol as including a meaning of “Sun,” it had other usages. In
particular, it meant, “ground, soil, land, foundation, and the ground floor of a building.” As such, following the
Expansion period, between 1949 and 1973, the Foundation of Israel had been set. It had the land it wanted, and
although there was a 1982 War, where Israel invaded Lebanon to defeat Palestinian rebels situated there, it later
withdrew, leaving Lebanese Christian forces to maintain a buffer zone there. The element of Christian alliance is
then relative to le Sol being read as the Sun.
Nostradamus clearly indicated the Sun to be symbolic of Christianity, and as such the nations of the Western world,
particularly the United States (and Great Britain), all shine as the Sun, being Christian nations. Another word that
Nostradamus consistently used to depict the West, most specifically Great Britain and the United States, is the
superlative, “great”. We now see that Nostradamus combined both Christian references in stating, “the Sun will burn
great”, or worded differently as, “the Sun will be very hot in a matter great”. This becomes reflected in the U.S.
economic and military aid to Israel, as a staunch ally, and its coercing peace talks to repeatedly be held, between the
Egyptians and Israel (1979 - Carter Administration), the Jordanians and Israelis (1994 – Clinton Administration), and
a Declaration of Principles between the Israelis and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO – 1993 – Clinton
Administration).
All of this talk has secured the Israeli control of the vast coastal plain, which was originally partitioned to be Israeli,
and which Israel claimed in its declaration of independence. This flat fertile farmland had been home to 700,000
Palestinians. To the United States, having this plain in the hands of a strong ally becomes essential in its plans to
remain a designee as great, due to its other concerns in the region, which it is equally, if not more inflamed over.
Those would be the concerns over using its strength, especially the strength it has afforded Israel as an ally, in its
Wars, and occupying Expansions, into the Lands of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, to
varying degrees. In reference to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Sun has been on fire in those nations, attempting to
solidify itself as the one great protector of freedom, liberty, democracy, and the American way, spread throughout the
world, since the collapse of the Soviet Union gave them the belt signifying them as the greatest. To do this best, it
needs to solidify Israel on its plain, while acting as peacemaker, trying to get opposing parties to find a level ground
from which to sign a treaty.
While the United States has been trying to make it appear they are seeking some level ground, their Muslim “allies”
have mentioned that having Israel a nation with nuclear weapons, while the United States vehemently forbids Arab
nations (beyond Pakistan) to obtain these weapons of mass destruction, is a “double-edged sword.” To justify Israel
with them is to justify all other nations with them, which is why the United States refuses to address whether or not
they have supplied nuclear technology to Israel, in the form of weaponry. During the first Gulf War, it was not
believed that Saddam Hussein had such nuclear technology within his grasp, but some who had escaped his regime
reported to American authorities that he was working to obtain them, through research. Still, once the liberation of
Kuwait began, Iraq launched a number of S.C.U.D. missile into Israel. Many of these rockets did considerable
damage, although the advertising campaign for this War chose to focus on the amazing capability of the U.S.
provided Patriot defense missile. Following the first Gulf War, until the second War with Iraq, the U.S. was concerned
about Saddam Hussein secretly obtaining weapons of mass destruction. While none were ever found, the fear has
since transferred to Iran obtaining them secretly.
This becomes the focus of line four. Nostradamus wrote, “Bois & citez,” which appears to be stating, “Wood & cities”,
giving the impression of an important “Forest & surrounding cities,” but that impression says nothing of value, as
would relate to the previous lines. This means alternate translations of bois and cité have to be searched, to see if a
more plausible statement of relative importance can be found. The answer comes when one sees that bois means,
“wood, staff, lance, spear, and the horns of a deer.” When the capitalization is applied to either “Spear” or “Lance”,
one has a one-word statement that is of an important weapon, in particular one that is long and slender, with the
damage coming from the head, or tip, while being designed to cast towards the enemy. This becomes the fear of a
rocket, such as the S.C.U.D., being easily capable of reaching Israel.
The other word of this pair surrounding an ampersand is citez, which becomes “cité-z”, where cité becomes the past
tense of “citer” ("to cite"), even while it does translate as “city”. As “cite”, it states, “cited to appear, summoned to
appear, and warned to appear.” Something that warns is best suited to surround an ampersand that begins with
something dangerous, like a rocket with an important Spearhead. This, once again, fits the scenario of a major
concern, both for the United States, and for Israel. Neither wants to see an Arab nation, especially one close to
Israel, obtaining a Spear & one that has been warned to appear, by such anti-Israel, anti-USA agents, such as
Osama bin Laden. Due to this warning, the United States fears Iran obtaining such weapons, just as it fears Pakistan
having such weapons, just as it fears North Korea having such weapons. The warning signs are what promotes the
fear, along with the knowledge of what rocket weaponry can do, regardless of the hype given to Patriot defense
missiles.
Part of this fear comes from captured papers, ones found in caves in Afghanistan, after the War there, in 2002. They
found letters prepared as training documents, which teach (among several things) how to build a nuclear weapon,
small, suitcase variety. The Pakistani who led the research that gave Pakistan nuclear capability (Abdul Qadeer
Khan) has been making his letters and notes available to all Muslim nations. His writings make it a simple process,
which does not require huge nuclear reactors. These letters lead to it being extremely possible that an Arab nations
(or Persian one) can obtain weapons of mass destruction secretly, keeping such weapons hidden ones, until ready to
strike with them.
In reference to this technology being obtained, and kept secret, the biggest stumbling block is the capability to use
such a weapon at a long distance. This is the rocket technology, such as that the North Koreans have tested in the
past year or so. This has not been demonstrated as in the possession of “third world” nations, where “third world”
here is defined as non-nuclear capable. Should one obtain this technology from a larger power, such as the
Russians (or their nuclear-capable, former satellite nations), or the Chinese, Nostradamus is stating that too will be
done in covert, making it most difficult for the United States to know for certain. That then becomes another of the
fears the USA faces, along with Israel.
The final two words (one is a contraction of two words), au ciegre, states “in the big candle”. A big, tall, cylindrical-
shaped candle, is not too unlike the shape of a Spear. However, where the Spear has a dangerous head on one
end, a candle gets lit on one end, so that it shows fire. If one puts the two together, one comes up with something
like a Roman candle, which is a form of fireworks. The danger comes when the secret is placed in the candle, or with
the candle, so that fire and Spear become one. This, again, is the fear the United States has, and the fear comes
from knowing just how much hatred is directed at them, and at the Israelis.
This quatrain is then one that mirrors the essence of the whole story of les Propheties. It is a quatrain that tells of the
hatred all parties concerned, identified in the main theme statement, have brought upon themselves. While all three
are branches of religion, rooted in belief in the One God, coming from a common ancestry with Abraham, none will
have acted in religious ways, as far as when dealing with the problems that have been created by man’s inability to
refrain from seeking selfish endeavors. The lack of each parties connection to their God, YHWH, or Allah, they have
all sought bigger and better ways to hurt the others. The prophecies of Nostradamus are about hidden Spears in the
big candles coming without warning. The fears are justifiable, only if one no longer believes that God can lead us
away from this fear-caused self-annihilation.
particularly interesting. One that I always recognized by the translation of others is the one known as Centurie VI
(Six), number 35. It goes like this:
Near to Orion, and close to the white wool,
Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, the Virgin:
Mars, Jupiter, the Sun will burn great the plain,
Wood & cities, letters hidden in the candle.
So much astrology is there, but so little makes sense. Of course, I had read it explained that the “white wool” was
“the Milky Way,” of which Orion, and all the zodiac signs are parts of this galaxy. Still, even with that explanation,
what is the importance of that statement? Orion is the mythological “Hunter”, with a noticeable “belt”, and its upper
left star, denoting Orion’s “club raised in the air,” is at the foot of the constellation of Gemini. Gemini is the one sign
not mentioned in the second line, so what does this mean?
In my efforts to break every quatrain down into understandable matrices, it came to my attention that Nostradamus
did not write “Orion.” He actually wrote, “Rion”, which I always assumed was a legitimate word in another language
that meant, “Orion.” As far as I have been able to determine, there is nothing that supports a conclusion that “Rion”
equals “Orion”, and in the world of logical analysis, one cannot jump to that conclusion without reason to support
such a leap.
What one can reason, and this comes from some length of deep study of The Prophecies, is that by seeing a
misspelled word in the form of a simple anagram becomes a legitimate way to understand an otherwise unintelligible
word. In this regard, rules do apply.
For instance, when a misplaced letter is one accepted to be recognized as an abbreviation for a precedent article or
pronoun, whereas “l” can be seen as “le”, or “s” can be seen as “se”, when placed at the front of a word, connected
by an apostrophe, a letter not written can be assumed to be intended. An example would be the word “Jeusne” is not
a correctly spelled word, but to see it as, “s’Jeune”, would make it possible to translate as, “se Jeune” (“one Young”,
or “itself young”, etc.), where the “e” of “se” was not written.
This allowance is only made for commonly abbreviated French words, which are found in a French dictionary defined
as to be read as a word with more letters. Otherwise, one cannot assume it to be acceptable to add letters to make a
word, which was written without that letter. An example is “Rion”. This word has one “o”, and it is not allowable to
simply create another “o”, making it become “Orion”.
This means, if no known language (French, Latin, Occitan, Arpetan, and Catalan, for examples) spells “Orion” as
“Rion”, then “Rion” is not “Orion.” If “Rion” is not a known word, as spelled in that order of letters, then those letters,
and only those letters, can be rearranged to find a new possibility. In the case of “Rion”, it becomes “Noir”, the
French word meaning, “black, dark, or obscure.” It is also a simple anagram, being spelled backwards to become
“Rion.”
This immediately becomes significant, simply because Nostradamus wrote the word “blanche”, meaning “white, or
hoary”, in the same line. This change to Noir brings a symmetry to a line that has to find meaning, as it is the main
theme line of the whole quatrain. We have not changed the line into a statement that says, “Nearby to Black, close to
white wool”.
With “Rion” no longer making one think “Orion,” the element of space and the heavens disappears, where “Black”
and “white” are both in proximity to one another, symbolized by the word, “laine”, or “wool.” This makes me think of
sheep, and in particular the nursery rhyme, “Baa baa black sheep, have you any wool?” This then, to me, is symbolic
of two flocks of sheep, where one is Black, and the other is white. While different in color, they are still of the same
breed of animal.
Still, the use of “wool” seems to be the one word that keeps the main theme statement from standing out. This means
that one is now free to closer examine the word “laine”, to see it if has any other alternative meanings. As “laine” it
can only mean, “wool,” but when those letters become separated, as “l’aine”, it leads to another form of spelling for
aine”.
The 1611 Old French dictionary shows “ain” as defined under “haim”. The use of an “h” is silent, such that some Old
French words have lost the “h” since. This means that one needs to look up the word, “haim”, to see if it had a form
ending with an “e”. While “haim”, and thus “ain”, meant “fishing hook”, with no “e” ending, there was (and still is) the
word “haine” to be considered. The word “haine” means, “hate, hatred, loathing, detesting, malice, a grudge, and ill-
will.” In a modern French dictionary it shows as, “’haine”, with an apostrophe. This then becomes a viable
translation, instead of “wool”, although “wool” is the primary intention, to denote “sheep of different colors.”
With this new addition, line one now states, “Near to Black, close with white the hatred,” or by losing the “l”, as
converted to “h”, it can state, “Nearby to Black, neighboring with white ill-will”. When each word is read separately,
before it becomes joined with any others, one now sees the main theme appears as a level of “hatred” between
“Black” and “white”. The question now becomes, “How can it be “Nearby” and “close to” this “hatred”?
The answer is found in what is not stated, rather than what is stated. The key to this understanding is the consistent
symbolic usage of color (where black and white, although not colors, do fall into this symbolic category), where black
relates to Islam, and white relates to Christianity. In purely geographic terms, on the most general perspective,
Muslims primarily live in the Middle East (Asia Minor), with Christians primarily living in Europe, regardless of any
colonial expansions to other pockets of the world. This means “Nearby” and “close to” are words of proximity, relative
to those geographies.
The use of capitalization then becomes an important factor. The words “Nearby” and “Black” are capitalized, whereas
“close to” and “white” are in the lower case. Capitalization shows importance, such that the segment of line one, up
to the comma break, is all about the importance of “Nearby to Black”. With the word près having the meanings,
“near, by, nearby, fast by, hard by, near upon, nigh unto, well-nigh, and as it were touching”, these meaning can be
seen as being “in” the Middle East, while being apart from the Islamic Middle East. The importance of capitalization
then implies an equal importance to “Black”, which is not black (Muslim), but “close to white”. This can only mean the
important presence of Israel, and the Jewish people, “as it were touching” the lands of Muslims.
By stating, “close to white,” the Jews are in proximity to the Christian world, which is found in Europe, as close as
Greece, which was the center of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Rome, and the Roman Catholic Church, is not much
further away. Still, while Europeans are called a race (a skin color distinction) of white peoples, Caucasians, Jews are
not considered such. They have their own race, separate from their religion, which is also Jewish. Therefore, as
“close to white” as they appear, they are not white, just as they are not black.
This leaves the word “hatred” to be the reason why the unstated Jews are, “Nearby to Black, close to white”. That
reason is the “hatred’ found from both Muslims and Christians (historically founded), which has returned the Jews to a
land that was once promised to them by God, but since lost to their “Black” brothers. This means that all, Muslim,
Christian, and Jew, come from the same original flock of Abraham, only long since split into separate groups. In other
words, all are valued for their wool.
The overall effect of line one, the main theme for the whole quatrain, is that it becomes seen as a very specific
statement of reality, where there is animosity between religions. The overall theme of all of The Prophecies is the
animosity between religions will lead to a great Holy War, which will leave the earth a desolate place. Therefore, the
main theme of this quatrain is in line with the main theme of Nostradamus greater work. It reflects the macro as the
micro.
Astrology reflects this by its using “As above, so below” as its motto. Thus, having lines two and three reflect
astrology, where some zodiac signs are stated in the secondary theme (line two), with some planets, along with “the
Sun”, are mentioned in line three. Together, lines two and three seem to be doing little more than naming different
astrological-astronomical elements, but closer inspection, with an eye to the deeper meanings of astrological
symbolism, yields more than just a stream of names associated with our solar system.
Line two, as the secondary theme, has to make some statement relative to the main theme statement, which is the
proximity of the religions of the one God, and a residual hatred between them. However, by line two stating, “Aries,
Taurus, Cancer, Leo, the Virgin”, this seems to add nothing concrete.
To make sense of line two, one has to realize that the star constellations are not part of our solar system, per se.
This means the signs have nothing to do with the very distant stars. They have only to do with one star, our Sun.
The signs mark the placement of the Sun’s movements, such that the sign Aries marks the Sun’s placement, when it
is in alignment with the earth’s equator, at the time called the Vernal Equinox. Thus, to see Nostradamus write,
“Aries,” the meaning is, “The Sun’s movement through the area known as Aries.” This then becomes a statement of
timing, where one sign equals one month’s time, with the specific time relative to Aries being that between (roughly)
March 21 and April 20, each year.
With the series of signs listed in line two being in a natural order of the Sun’s movement, and the last sign being that
of Virgo, which is (roughly) the time between August 23 and September 22, the result of line two is a six month
period. This period covers all of the Spring and Summer months. Thus, the secondary theme is one of timing, which
becomes specific to the main theme of hatred between three religions.
Still, just as the focus of the main theme was the Jewish people, and their religion, without being either Black or white,
as unwritten, between the lines, there is something not stated in line two that becomes important by its omission.
That is the sign Gemini, which comes between Taurus and Cancer, but is not mentioned in the timing series of the
secondary theme. This omission is then an understanding of a period when the hatred will not be an issue. This
could be seen as a time of rest from hostilities, or some lull in the storm. With so much animosity known to be a
constant in the Middle East, the period of Gemini could be a time of a cease-fire agreement. Such can be gleaned
from understanding the signs as a timing element.
Further, the translation of “la Vierge” as “Virgo’ is not completely correct. The French word for Virgo is Vierge,
without the need for an attached article. It is, therefore, best seen as “the Virgin,” where the capitalization means an
important Virgin. In fact, the feminine article, la, when seen as the adverb, `, translates as, “there”, such that the end
of line two says, “there Virgin”. When “there” becomes relative to the geography of line one, where the main theme is
telling of there Near, and there close to, line two is then identifying there as being where the important Virgin is known
to be related. Of course, that Virgin is the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, a Jew, who lived among Gentiles, of both
Roman and non-Roman descent (later to become Christians and Muslims). This confirms the religious element of the
main theme.
Next, the astrological elements of line two becomes an indication of the signs each ruled by different planets. Aries is
ruled by Mars. Taurus is ruled by Venus. Cancer is ruled by the Moon. Leo is ruled by the Sun; and Virgo is ruled
by Mercury. By skipping over Gemini, which is also ruled by Mercury, the element of Mercury rule becomes the last in
this series, rather than third.
The series is then stating the symbolic essence each sign represents, according to the planetary rulership. As such,
Self-importance (as capitalization indicates), the essence of Aries, is the first step in the hatred process. This is a
lack of concern for the feelings and desires of others, and is at the center of the problems the Middle East faces,
ever since the artificial return of the Jews to Israel.
This is then followed by Value-importance, the capitalized essence of Taurus. This is the worth that all sides see in
Israel, as the Holy Land for three religions. Each side has feeling for this land, for three different reasons. Each
values his own, while caring nothing about the other’s feelings of value.
This is then followed by the Mothering-importance, coming from the Moon’s rulership over Cancer. The Moon, just as
the color Black, represents Islam, according to Nostradamus, and as evidenced in the flags of many Muslim nations.
The land that has become Israel (post-1948 version) is seen as necessary for nurturing Islam, while protecting those
cast out, the Palestinians.
This is then followed by the Ego-importance, which is the essence of the Sun’s rulership over Leo. Just as the Moon
represents Islam, the Sun represents Christianity, as Jesus is the light and the way. This is the element of
Christianity that has placed Israel on Palestinian soil, then staunchly protected that seizure, not from deep feelings for
the land, but from an egocentric flattery, as the ones who gave to the Jews what only God had given before.
Finally, the sign of Virgo, whose rule by Mercury indicates the thought processes that become internalized as routine
patterns and organizational skills, represents the constant need for communication and planning, so that peace can
be obtained. This, again, is not from a heartfelt need to understand all opposing views, but from a simple need to
see the entire issue as a problem solving exercise, with accepting an option that returns to the source of the problem,
and reverses the damage that was begun with the theft of Arab land.
The skipping over of the sign Gemini, which is also ruled by Mercury, is a statement of its own merit. The symbolic
essence of Gemini is multiplicity, which in the focus of geography becomes multi-ethnic environments, which Palestine
was prior to the Zionist movements that began in the late 19th century. Before men plotted the artificial takeover of
land, for selfish reasons, Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived in relative peace and harmony in the region that was
Palestine, Lebanon, and Transjordan. The essence of Gemini, and the house it rules (the third house, as the third
sign), is siblings and neighbors, where although there will be differences and arguments, everyone is basically
“family”, so squabbles get settled to maintain all living together. Through such arrangements, one learns (a Mercury
related task) how to understand different types of people. Line tow’s omission of this sign is a clear indication of the
timing of this quatrain being after the artificial creation of the State of Israel, through United Nations approval, in 1948.
This means that the main theme of hatred is developed further in line two’s secondary theme, where the timing of this
hatred is relative to when the United States and Great Britain began to give their increasing support for the concept
and idea of a rebirth of Israel. It is not related to the time period prior to the late 19th century, and only slightly before
the end of World War I. The hatred increased once Great Britain and France were given Mandate of the Middle
Eastern lands that formerly were under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire. The years following World War I also
became a watershed period for hatred of Jews in Europe, which led to the mass extermination of millions of Jews
during the Nazi Holocaust. As much as the Nazis were responsible for the killings, no major Western European
government raised any objection to the round-up of Jews, all across the areas controlled by Adolph Hitler, including
the Roman Catholic Church. Jewish extermination was allowed due to an repressed hatred, based on jealousies and
fears created by the Roman Catholic Church’s condemnation of both Jews and Arabs. This growing hatred reached
a pinnacle when the Labor camps were discovered and made public in 1945. A European problem, which has existed
for centuries, became so exposed the easiest solution was to give them their own land back, even though that land
had been lost two thousand years before, and was part of the land known as Palestine. Line two then covers this
time of growing hatred, up to the eve of the recreation of the State of Israel.
Line three is then the period that began when the British announced they would be relinquishing their mandated
control of Palestine. With the creation of the United Nations, its first major order of business was to develop a
Partition Plan for Palestine. This plan would recognize roughly half of Palestine to be deemed Israel, while the other
half would be deemed Palestine, with some places being pockets of Jewish settlements, surrounded by land
separated as Palestinian. This plan met with stiff opposition, such that once the British announced their leaving from
Palestine date, a Civil War broke out, where armed Jewish settlers took up defensive positions against Palestinian
Arabs, all while the British were still in Palestine. However, the British were reluctant to cease this fighting.
From this beginning of armed conflict, we can see how line three, which states, “Mars, Jupiter, the Sun will burn great
plain,” the use of Mars becomes symbolic of the War that began to be the face of hatred in the region. This became
official in 1948, once the British had removed all presence, when the Jews declared a War of Independence,
becoming an independent nation, one recognized by the U.N. In this War, the Israelis took control of land that had
been partitioned as for Palestinians. No Palestinian state was ever declared, or recognized as an organized nation,
such that in 1949 over 700,000 Palestinians fled the newly declared Israel, becoming refugees. The land areas
known as the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and the Gaza strip, which had been partitioned as Palestinian, became
annexed by Jordan (Transjordan), Syria, and Egypt, respectively. All of these nations, as well as Iraq, had sent
expeditionary forces to Palestine to fight against the Israelis. These nations would again declare War on Israel, in
1967 (the Six Days War).
While Mars is easily understood as associated with War, as that was the name of the Roman god of War, Jupiter is
probably less understood in that symbolic manner. Jupiter is known as the planet that symbolizes “growth and
Expansion”, because as the largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter represents doing things in grand style.
Following the Six Days War, Israel did indeed expand, taking control of the West Bank, the entire Sinai Peninsula,
including the Gaza strip, and the Golan Heights. This led to another War, in 1973, known as the Yom Kippur War,
where Egypt and Syria, assisted by Iraq, attempted to overthrow the expanded control of the Israeli forces in the
Golan Heights, and along the East Bank of the Suez Canal. Israel also easily defended its security positions
protecting the Golan Heights, and as a result of the 1973 defeat of the Syrians, increased its settlements there,
initiating the Golan Heights Law in 1981. This law, which was condemned by the United Nations and the people of the
Golan Heights, covered the region under Israeli law and administration. Syria, however, still provides government
assistance to the people living there, with the land officially classified as “Israeli occupied.” This means that Israel
found Expansion easy, following War.
Following the name Jupiter, Nostradamus wrote “le Sol”, which is the Roman spelling for “the Sun”. The French word
for Sun is “soleil”, and although the Old French saw Sol as including a meaning of “Sun,” it had other usages. In
particular, it meant, “ground, soil, land, foundation, and the ground floor of a building.” As such, following the
Expansion period, between 1949 and 1973, the Foundation of Israel had been set. It had the land it wanted, and
although there was a 1982 War, where Israel invaded Lebanon to defeat Palestinian rebels situated there, it later
withdrew, leaving Lebanese Christian forces to maintain a buffer zone there. The element of Christian alliance is
then relative to le Sol being read as the Sun.
Nostradamus clearly indicated the Sun to be symbolic of Christianity, and as such the nations of the Western world,
particularly the United States (and Great Britain), all shine as the Sun, being Christian nations. Another word that
Nostradamus consistently used to depict the West, most specifically Great Britain and the United States, is the
superlative, “great”. We now see that Nostradamus combined both Christian references in stating, “the Sun will burn
great”, or worded differently as, “the Sun will be very hot in a matter great”. This becomes reflected in the U.S.
economic and military aid to Israel, as a staunch ally, and its coercing peace talks to repeatedly be held, between the
Egyptians and Israel (1979 - Carter Administration), the Jordanians and Israelis (1994 – Clinton Administration), and
a Declaration of Principles between the Israelis and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO – 1993 – Clinton
Administration).
All of this talk has secured the Israeli control of the vast coastal plain, which was originally partitioned to be Israeli,
and which Israel claimed in its declaration of independence. This flat fertile farmland had been home to 700,000
Palestinians. To the United States, having this plain in the hands of a strong ally becomes essential in its plans to
remain a designee as great, due to its other concerns in the region, which it is equally, if not more inflamed over.
Those would be the concerns over using its strength, especially the strength it has afforded Israel as an ally, in its
Wars, and occupying Expansions, into the Lands of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, to
varying degrees. In reference to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Sun has been on fire in those nations, attempting to
solidify itself as the one great protector of freedom, liberty, democracy, and the American way, spread throughout the
world, since the collapse of the Soviet Union gave them the belt signifying them as the greatest. To do this best, it
needs to solidify Israel on its plain, while acting as peacemaker, trying to get opposing parties to find a level ground
from which to sign a treaty.
While the United States has been trying to make it appear they are seeking some level ground, their Muslim “allies”
have mentioned that having Israel a nation with nuclear weapons, while the United States vehemently forbids Arab
nations (beyond Pakistan) to obtain these weapons of mass destruction, is a “double-edged sword.” To justify Israel
with them is to justify all other nations with them, which is why the United States refuses to address whether or not
they have supplied nuclear technology to Israel, in the form of weaponry. During the first Gulf War, it was not
believed that Saddam Hussein had such nuclear technology within his grasp, but some who had escaped his regime
reported to American authorities that he was working to obtain them, through research. Still, once the liberation of
Kuwait began, Iraq launched a number of S.C.U.D. missile into Israel. Many of these rockets did considerable
damage, although the advertising campaign for this War chose to focus on the amazing capability of the U.S.
provided Patriot defense missile. Following the first Gulf War, until the second War with Iraq, the U.S. was concerned
about Saddam Hussein secretly obtaining weapons of mass destruction. While none were ever found, the fear has
since transferred to Iran obtaining them secretly.
This becomes the focus of line four. Nostradamus wrote, “Bois & citez,” which appears to be stating, “Wood & cities”,
giving the impression of an important “Forest & surrounding cities,” but that impression says nothing of value, as
would relate to the previous lines. This means alternate translations of bois and cité have to be searched, to see if a
more plausible statement of relative importance can be found. The answer comes when one sees that bois means,
“wood, staff, lance, spear, and the horns of a deer.” When the capitalization is applied to either “Spear” or “Lance”,
one has a one-word statement that is of an important weapon, in particular one that is long and slender, with the
damage coming from the head, or tip, while being designed to cast towards the enemy. This becomes the fear of a
rocket, such as the S.C.U.D., being easily capable of reaching Israel.
The other word of this pair surrounding an ampersand is citez, which becomes “cité-z”, where cité becomes the past
tense of “citer” ("to cite"), even while it does translate as “city”. As “cite”, it states, “cited to appear, summoned to
appear, and warned to appear.” Something that warns is best suited to surround an ampersand that begins with
something dangerous, like a rocket with an important Spearhead. This, once again, fits the scenario of a major
concern, both for the United States, and for Israel. Neither wants to see an Arab nation, especially one close to
Israel, obtaining a Spear & one that has been warned to appear, by such anti-Israel, anti-USA agents, such as
Osama bin Laden. Due to this warning, the United States fears Iran obtaining such weapons, just as it fears Pakistan
having such weapons, just as it fears North Korea having such weapons. The warning signs are what promotes the
fear, along with the knowledge of what rocket weaponry can do, regardless of the hype given to Patriot defense
missiles.
Part of this fear comes from captured papers, ones found in caves in Afghanistan, after the War there, in 2002. They
found letters prepared as training documents, which teach (among several things) how to build a nuclear weapon,
small, suitcase variety. The Pakistani who led the research that gave Pakistan nuclear capability (Abdul Qadeer
Khan) has been making his letters and notes available to all Muslim nations. His writings make it a simple process,
which does not require huge nuclear reactors. These letters lead to it being extremely possible that an Arab nations
(or Persian one) can obtain weapons of mass destruction secretly, keeping such weapons hidden ones, until ready to
strike with them.
In reference to this technology being obtained, and kept secret, the biggest stumbling block is the capability to use
such a weapon at a long distance. This is the rocket technology, such as that the North Koreans have tested in the
past year or so. This has not been demonstrated as in the possession of “third world” nations, where “third world”
here is defined as non-nuclear capable. Should one obtain this technology from a larger power, such as the
Russians (or their nuclear-capable, former satellite nations), or the Chinese, Nostradamus is stating that too will be
done in covert, making it most difficult for the United States to know for certain. That then becomes another of the
fears the USA faces, along with Israel.
The final two words (one is a contraction of two words), au ciegre, states “in the big candle”. A big, tall, cylindrical-
shaped candle, is not too unlike the shape of a Spear. However, where the Spear has a dangerous head on one
end, a candle gets lit on one end, so that it shows fire. If one puts the two together, one comes up with something
like a Roman candle, which is a form of fireworks. The danger comes when the secret is placed in the candle, or with
the candle, so that fire and Spear become one. This, again, is the fear the United States has, and the fear comes
from knowing just how much hatred is directed at them, and at the Israelis.
This quatrain is then one that mirrors the essence of the whole story of les Propheties. It is a quatrain that tells of the
hatred all parties concerned, identified in the main theme statement, have brought upon themselves. While all three
are branches of religion, rooted in belief in the One God, coming from a common ancestry with Abraham, none will
have acted in religious ways, as far as when dealing with the problems that have been created by man’s inability to
refrain from seeking selfish endeavors. The lack of each parties connection to their God, YHWH, or Allah, they have
all sought bigger and better ways to hurt the others. The prophecies of Nostradamus are about hidden Spears in the
big candles coming without warning. The fears are justifiable, only if one no longer believes that God can lead us
away from this fear-caused self-annihilation.
| All Material Copyright of Robert Tippett with the exception of the obviously stolen stuff Reproduction by Permission Only |