SPIRITUALITY ARTICLES

THE LOST BOOK OF NOSTRADAMUS-PART II

One thing must be clear from the outset; Nostradamus is not a purveyor of doom and gloom. He does not predict the end of the world nor does he foretell of the “second coming” of anyone. Regardless of the words, he does not believe in an anti-Christ. Nostradamus does not tell “all” in the quatrains, rather he reveals his mysteries in his symbols.

The quatrains are like the parables that are understood by the few. There inner truths reserved for the initiates. While many quibble over the meaning of the words, they fail to see the heart that lies beneath. The Universe speaks in images and symbols and Nostradamus was a tool of the Universe – he was an initiate of the highest order and it is to his symbols one must turn to grasp the rudiments of the words. They go hand-in-hand; they are the duality that shapes the entire manifest world.

Perhaps the biggest failure of most is their attempt to try to interpret his symbols from the perspective of religious dogma. While he had to use the words of the day and placate the powers that be, Nostradamus was not under the thumb of religious ideology. He knew how to play the game in order to keep his head. So much has been slipped under the nose of theocracy it is a wonder they have not seen the writing on the wall. There is a famous quote about pearls before swine and so few have really understood its meaning.

As I have said in my writings in the novel, WAKING GOD, certain symbols have been our guide for countless millennia. These symbols became what are commonly called the Tarot. While many will argue that the Tarot was a 16^th century creation, that argument also falls under the category of those beautiful pearls. That Nostradamus used that symbology is indisputable. His real story is in the picture and not the text. However, if one uses Christian myth as the basis for interpreting those symbols, you are condemned to mire in the muck of ignorance.

It is little wonder that the Church created devils and demons to gain and maintain their power over the masses. All reasoning people would surely understand that stories of a vengeful god, filled with wrath and contempt for its creation would garner few converts unless they were threatened with eternal damnation for disobedience. The serpents and dragons of Nostradamus do not represent evil. That is merely a lie told by those trying to protect a lie. Certainly, anything that would expose that lie would be considered evil. To them, the “truth” is evil since it underpins their very foundation.

To begin to understand the inner message of Nostradamus, all religious connotations must be cast aside. Do not think of the images of the pope as necessarily being the literal pope. Do not see the serpent as evil, see it as wisdom. When Patrick drove the serpents from Ireland, what he really did was drive the Druids from their homeland. The serpent represents wisdom in the same way it did in the story of Moses. Is DNA involved in his images? In WAKING GOD we talk of the ‘good seed’ imbedded within our DNA and this reference is made in numerous Tarot pictographs. The wisdom of the awakening DNA was no stranger to Nostradamus. Beware of seeing the crescent moon as a symbol of Islam. It is important to note that it is often portrayed as a double image. This deals not only with the inner and hidden meaning of Islam; it also deals with the Goddess whose Tarot card is number two. It is she who is the fount of wisdom. His many female images do not allude to foreshadowing a female pope, but rather to the return of the Goddess and all of her wisdom.

Contrary to very popular belief and error, the burning tower does not represent the end of the world. The tower is man’s dogma undergoing purification of the spiritual fire. This fire is often portrayed as destructive in religious circles, e.g the fires of hell and the lake of fire in Revelations. Contrary to this erroneous thinking, the alchemic fire gave birth to the universe and its purifying nature frees the mind from mental bondage. Even Jesus said he came to” baptize by fire.” I doubt he meant he wanted to burn everyone in the flames of Inquisition. Keeping in mind the importance of numbers and their meaning, note that the tower has three openings. The number three appears everywhere in the Tarot and in the plates of Nostradamus. Card three of the Tarot is the Empress, the Goddess, who gives birth to wisdom. She has one foot on a crescent moon and her crown is adorned by 12 stars. Card 12 is the hanged man who, by reversing his thinking is awakened to the inner truths of the Universe. His coat displays two crescent moons.

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This is the second piece of a multi-part article on THE LOST BOOK OF NOSTRADAMUS.

THE LOST BOOK OF NOSTRADAMUS: THEY HAVE IT ALL WRONG!

“The Lost Book of Nostradamus” was recently aired on the History Channel. They got it all wrong! While sensationalism sells and controversy attracts listeners, the History Channel should have done more to balance the commentary on this newly discovered manuscript. While their was a hint of mystical inference in some of the commentary, most so called ‘experts’ greatly missed the mark in the interpretation of the text and images in The Prophecies by this well known seer.

In a multi-part series of articles it is my intent to show that the current popular interpretations of the symbols presented in the “Lost Book” are sadly lacking in efficacy. In doing so, the current buzz around this book will have done Nostradamus and humanity a great disservice.   It is important to keep in mind that current interpretations are geared to a comparison of the text to Christian ideology, mytghs and scriptures. By spending most of the analysis comparing Nostradamus, prophecies to the Bible in general, and revelations in particular, the effort becomes self-serving and self-fulfilling.

Nostradamus was a mystic with ties to several secret societies, most notably, the Rose Cross. In this context, new levels of observation come to light when viewing the images contained in the text. As a matter of fact, if one examines The Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucian’s, it will be clear that there is more than meets the eye with respect to the intent and meaning of the Nostradamus prophecies. Further, while the commentators on the show made mention of tarot symbols, it is clear that their understanding is not at the esoteric levels. In my co-authored novel, “Waking God,” the concept of a Tarot Code was introduced. The book is a mystical treatise in the guise of a spiritual thriller and states that the tarot has hits roots in imagery that preceded the Assyrian Empire and has been carried forth into the modern era. These symbols provide a pictorial history of human evolution as well as clues, or prophecies regarding our future. These symbols are found in almost every civilization and yet are understood by only a few. Nostradamus uses these images.

Contrary to information and suppositions made in the History Channel’s broadcast, the symbols of Nostradamus transcend those images often touted by biblical scholars as messages of doom and world’s end. Perhaps the only real accurate statement on the show that was symbol related is that the prophecies give clues as to the Apocalypse. But even here, it is important to remember that the term ‘apocalypse’ does not mean the end of the world. The word means ‘revelation, to uncover, knowledge revealed’ and not Armageddon or the destruction of the physical world. The term apocalypse has been hijacked by religious dogma to frighten unsuspecting followers into believing that all prophecies that deal with the word apocalypse support their notion that one day, deity will destroy its creation and only the faithful will survive. The apocalypse of Nostradamus deals with the ‘end of lies, not the end of times.’

While more details will be presented in subsequent articles, it should be understood that the true and inner meaning behind the words of Nostradamus concerns humanity’s spiritual awakening. The prophecies are a light post aimed at leading humanity into a new era of spirituality that is devoid of dogma and founded upon the notion of personal spiritual enlightenment.   The same can be said for the much misunderstood Book of Revelations. The accuracy of his predictions serves to underscore the fact that he knew the benchmarks that would be achieved as humanity travels on its path of evolution. He was showing people that tough choices must be made if we, in fact, ever hope to prevent our own self-destruction. He was alerting humanity to the ideas that our choices are leading to such things as environmental, social and political collapse if we do not change our way of thinking. His warnings were meant to divert us from catastrophe rather than suggesting that such catastrophe is inevitable. The goal a person telling you not to go down a certain road because the bridge has collapsed is not to foretell of your death; it is meant to prevent your death.

In future articles I will show that the serpents and dragons in the images of Nostradamus are not representative of evil or the devil. The female images are not about women trying to become Pope. The Tower of destruction is not about the end of the world. The images of apparent clashes between Muslims and Christians do not predict inevitable religious wars. The symbols of Nostradamus and the Tarot are not about an anti-Christ. Throughout religious history biblical texts, taken out of context, have been used to justify all manner of crime and injustice. The prophecies of Nostradamus are another voice crying out in the wilderness of human history urging us to change our ways and enter a period of great enlightenment. It is incumbent upon modern interpreters of these messages not to fall into the age old religious trap and of using these words of wisdom to frighten humanity into a set of self-fulfilling prophecies.

THE FINE ART OF VISUALIZATION

The Universe operates according to set laws and the co-creators need to be aware of those laws if they are to be successful in their efforts to consciously create their own reality. Keep you in mind; you are constantly creating your reality now albeit on an unconscious level. If you want to know what you think about the most, what you are emotional about and what you believe in strongly all you need to do is look at your life. Your currently reality is merely a reflection of what is occurring in your mind.

Visualization is a key in creating your own reality. If you think that you cannot visualize you are mistaken since the world you see is the result of your visualization. The Universe is very literal. It does not judge your desires. It will create what you hold in your mind, thoughts and emotions. It should be stated clearly from the outset; you cannot create negative thoughts or send negative thoughts to someone. All that happens in that situation is that you pollute your own mind and affect only yourself and your perception on the world. There is more that could be said here but it is not worth the energy to do so.

Visualization is more than just seeing what you want in your mind. It is not a flat image like on a TV screen but rather it contains all the dimensions and the physical and emotional senses. In a way it is a hologram in which you must be an active participant if you are to achieve maximum success. Most people start off on the wrong foot when it comes to visualization. They start with the premise “I want.” Like I said, the Universe is very literal and so it will give you all the “wanting” you can handle. Any verb that follows “I” is very powerful and it is the key message to the Universe. Therefore, if you say, “I want more money,” this is interpreted by the Universe as you “want” to keep wanting more money. What you get is merely “wanting” and basically no money. This holds true for phrases like “I need, I wish, I hope,” etc. All you will manifest is “needing, wishing and hoping” in ample abundance.

Starting visualization with the mindset of “I need” is a false premise. Basically you are stating that there is something you do not have and you want the Universe to correct the situation. Here is a key; there is nothing that you do not have. Since all things are made of energy, there is an unlimited supply of energy in the Universe-truly, there is no shortage. When you tell the Universe you do not have something that is the message it receives and it acts accordingly by giving you “not having.” All things already exist in potential and your goal is to bring that energy into manifestation in your life. All that you could ever want or desire exists and is merely waiting for you to bring it into your life. When you tell the Universe “I have financial abundance, perfect health, a great personal relationship, spiritual enlightenment, and a wonderful and joyous life,” then you set the Universe in motion and it ensures that what you “have” in your mind is brought into physical reality. It is not that seeing is believing it is rather believing is seeing. Better yet, knowing is receiving.

Knowing that you have what you desire sets up a different and receptive mental state. Now is the time to act “as if.” In your mind you add dimension and emotion to that which you have mentally created. If it is a home improvement you desire, in your mind you see yourself in the added room along with all of the decorations, furnishings, smells and activities you will do there. See other family members in the room and play out in your mind conversations and others things you will do in that added space. Make it real. Pick the colors of the walls and see yourself hanging the paintings and then just feel good that what you created mentally is now real. Do not be concerned how this becomes reality and always keep the vision on the present tense. I have, not I will have. The word “will” implies future and like I said, the Universe is literal and that future will always remain in the future until you accept your vision in the now.

Do not second guess how your vision will occur. Many fail at this stage. They try to prescribe to the Universe how it should materialize the vision. I knew a person who once tried to manifest the “money” for her perfect new car. She kept failing. She was telling the Universe that the only way she could get the new car was to get money. After some consultation she decided not to “tell” the Universe but rather to let the Universe do its own thing. She began to visualize the car and her in it-period. A very short time later she was left the exact car, down to the red color by a relative that could no longer drive. The relative was going to sell the car but decided to give it to her niece instead-at no cost. When you try to prescribe the means you actually close doors and oftentimes block the Universe from manifesting your vision. Do not get caught in the mental trap of “I want it and this is how it must come.” The Universe is very resourceful.

There is another key step in this process and I would refer you to my other article, “The Power of Gratitude” posted on Gather. Now that you “have,” be grateful. Let the Universe know that you appreciate the gift and are thankful for a Universe that is waiting and ready to meet all of your desires. Keep in mind that the Universe is not seeking gratitude, it really seeks nothing. But when you set up in your mind the attitude of gratitude you make the manifestation your vision real to you. One rarely gives thanks for something they have not received.

If you want to decorate your fridge with picture and post sayings of gratitude that is all wonderful and they are reminders of what you have received. But, when your vision becomes clear do dwell on it too long. If you keep adjusting your thoughts and worrying about your vision you are giving the Universe the impression that you are either not done with the creative process or that you do not really “know” that it “has” happened.

More on this later!

VISUALIZATION II

We live and breathe and have our existence in a sea of energy that is shaped, molded and manifest through conscious thought. All that exists is thought made manifest. To the ancient mystics, this was called the tapestry of life. In modern times it is the string theory of quantum physics. Remember, there is no lack of energy in the Universe.

DO NOT give any attention to things that you do not want in your life. All that does is to feed energy into that which you do not desire. Do not adopt the attitude that there is no way that you can have what you desire simply because you do not see how it can come about. If the Universe can create stars, planets and life it is quite capable of creating a more positive situation for your life. Actually, the Universe can only create positive situations, it is we who do not see or interpret clearly. Even if you think you only have little of what life seems to offer, it is necessary to be thankful for what you do have. This begins to put into motion the idea that what you have, you enjoy and the Universe will respond with more of what makes you happy. So if you seem to have a lack of funds, be thankful for what you do have and let the Universe know that it pleases you to have money in the bank. This opens the door to more. But if you constantly bemoan the fact that you cannot pay a bill, then that is where you are putting your mental energy and the Universe responds by adding to that energy. The Universe merely follows your flow of mental energy and adds to it. It makes no judgment about what you think about, it merely follows the flow of your thoughts and assumes that because you are filling that thought with your emotional energy, then it must be something you desire.

Once you have formed the picture of what you have (remember, you have everything-you just want to manifest it), do NOT dwell on the image. If you keep changing your ideas then the Universe is given the impression that you have not finished your mental creation and so it will wait until you are done. However, there is more that you can do to reinforce your mental creation. For the sake of argument, say you are seeking a new or more positive relationship. You have imagined (Imaged) your perfect partner. What you can now do is a little daydreaming. Picture what you and your new partner will be doing. See yourself and your partner going out to dinner, attending a play or concert, taking a drive or spending a quiet moment together. What are you going to talk about with your new mate? How will you spend your evenings? What clothes is he or she wearing? In this daydream you do not alter the image; rather, you give it life and solidity. Fill it with conversation, laughter, emotion and a sense of joy and gratitude that all that you sought is real and now in your life. Do not make this a future event; see it in the now for now is all that there is.

This bringing to life of your image is often overlooked. If a car is your desire then see you self in it and going places. If it is better health, then see yourself doing what you desire in a state of wholeness. If is enlighten you seek, feel the presence of revelation, higher knowledge and understanding flowing through every fiber of your being. Want to help world peace, then do not see the world at hour but rather focus upon a vision of the world filled with understanding and brotherly love. As you focus upon these energies they are drawn into your world by the Law of Attraction. Remember, you cannot change the lives of others and impose your will upon others. We are each responsible for our own reality. Hut by drawing in the energies you desire you do have an effect upon others. Remember, the Universe is a tapestry and all of the threads are connected. As you re-create your part of the picture, the entire mosaic begins to take on a new and more positive appearance. Align yourself with positive thoughts and the world will follow your example.

Breathe life into your images and fill them with emotion, passion and life. See, feel, taste and hear your creation into existence. One last word of caution; do not fanaticize. While there are no limits except what we limit in our minds, there are laws that you cannot alter, at least on this plane and in this place. You will not be able to sprout wings and fly, at least not physically. If you have no singing voice at all but want to be a big rock star, then be prepared to take music lessons. If you do not know how to turn on a computer you will not wake up a webmaster. The Universe may provide you with the means and opportunities to manifest some of these desires, but you until you achieve a higher level of spiritual mastership it is probably best to keep your desires in the realm of possibility. While all things are possible, not all things are probable. In the words of the great master, Jesus, “Did I not say ye are gods?”

THE POWER OF GRATITUDE

In a polite society we say "thank you" after we receive a gift. While that is nice, it not exactly the way the Universe works. Many falter in the manifestation process because they believe that they do not already have what they want. After all, if you cannot see it or touch it, it is not there-right? Wrong!!!!!!!!!!Everything and anything that you could possibly want or desire is all around you. It is in the form of energy-waiting to be shaped and brought into the physical world by the creative process of the mind.

            Thoughts are things and all things are made of energy-physics 101. Nothing exists in the world that was not first thought about. A chair, a house, a plane, a computer, etc. are merely thoughts that have become manifest.   I would go so far as to say that even you and all of the infinite manifestations of life exists because of the first thought-the prime mover-the creative consciousness behind all of existence.

When we say that we do not have something, we close the cosmic door. We are telling the Universe "I DO NOT HAVE" and the Universe grants your desire and "YOU DO NOT HAVE." It is said, "seek, and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened." Unfortunately most people think this merely means that if you seek spiritual salvation, you will find it. However, these words are a basic Law of the Universe. In essence the law says that if you seek something, you will find it. It also says that what you have found is what you have sought. If you knock, a door will be opened, or the doors that have opened are the ones upon which you have knocked.

This puts life squarely upon your shoulders. What you have gotten is what you have sought. "But," you say, "I did not seek disease, poverty, financial lack, poverty, loneliness or general misery." Sorry, on some level you either consciously did or you unconsciously accepted these conditions because someone convinced you that is all you will ever get out of life. Someone gives you a canvass and some paints and you say, "What good is this? There is no picture on the canvass. It is blank." You are told to draw a picture and you balk because you are convinced that you are not an artist. As a result, other people use the paints to draw what they want. Now you are stuck with a picture you do not like.

Your world is the canvass and the paints are your mind seeking to create a beautiful picture. Because you are told that you cannot draw, you let others do it-you let others paint your world-create your world.

Now you sit, displeased with the picture but unwilling to change it because you are convinced that only others can paint. What does this have to do with gratitude? Because you do not feel that you can paint, you do not feel any level of thankfulness for the pictures others have drawn for you. You really wanted a picture of a beautiful house in the country but someone draws a run down apartment. Why should you be thankful, the picture is not what you want? Well, you shouldn't be thankful for something you don't want.

Only you can draw what you really desire. But, thinking your desires out of reach you fail to pick up the brushes-even though you have an endless supply of blank canvasses. A blank canvass is all things-in potential. Literally, anything imagined can be placed upon it. The reason it is not a picture of a nice house, or a good job or a wonderful relationship is because you refuse to draw your own picture.   We convince ourselves that if we do not have it, there is no use in drawing it.

The fact of the matter is that you do have whatever IT may be. The canvass is all things; merely waiting your brush stokes to make it real. When you say that you have nothing to be thankful for, you are saying that the canvass can never have the picture you desire. You close the door without even trying to open it. You see the canvass as blank, but it can be whatever you desire it to be.

Giving thanks means that you have already received something. When you give thanks to the Universe for all that you could possibly desire, you are saying that you have received all that you could possibly desire. You give form and then substance to the energy that exists everywhere and by law, these things must manifest. If you say that the picture on the canvass is a new house, it cannot be a run down apartment-the panting can only be what is put on it.

It is only hard to give thanks for what you think you do not have because that is your conditioning. You can't paint? Not true-the world you have, you have painted. When you begin to accept the fact that you are the artist of your own life, you will begin to realize that all of those blank canvasses await your secret desires to be drawn by your creative mind.

Give thanks for all that you desire. They already exist in potential-it is up to you to make them real. TELL the Universe what you want and tell the Universe you are thankful that it has given you an unlimited supply of paint. Do not close the door of life by saying no thank you. "The purpose of life is to enjoy every minute of it."