The Nostradamus Centuries Cipher

Foreword

Content Why cipher? Recipient of the text Cipher technique (1)

All of Nostradamus writing is not necessarily prophetic, and some simply has a poetic value. To be able to distinguish these types, a simple rule can be used: Most of the prophetic parts sound like gibberish because of a broken pieces grammatical construction, some omitted words, a strange vocabulary and many puns that allow several interpretations while only one is to consider. As a general rule, when the text is not understandable, strange or seemingly incoherent, there is precisely someting important to understand.

Why encode?

(ND in the text refers to Nostradamus)

H028
But the danger of the times, O Most Serene King, requires that such secrets should not be bared except in enigmatic sentences having, however, only one sense and meaning, and nothing ambiguous or amphibological inserted.

(The phenomenon of the "insult of time" requires to express oneself in a hidden way because the king would feel personally insulted by the revelations of the future events. And to take a global look at history, this appears to be true and certain. His stanzas have nothing ambiguous, the author writes, and have only a single meaning - but the reader should not take this too ltterally - ND must be saying that only one of the several possible meanings should be retained. The astrological computations cannot be challenged, he also writes.)

C008
having considered to remain silent & to let go of my commitment to write because of the insult not only of the present time but also most of the future. Since reigns, sects [churches] & religions will undergo such sweeping changes, sometimes diametrically, as regards to the present,

(The "insult of time" is like a cultural shock. And all will be revolutionized in the future. ND's general perception appears accurate.)

LC009
that if I were to relate what the future will be, those in reigns, sects, religions & faiths would find it so badly unpleasing to their auricular finger's fantasy [kissing the king and pope's tiny finger was a mark of respect], that they would end up condemning what centuries to come will know, understand, see and perceive. [reveals his depth of visions].

(The church and the king are incapable of receiving the knowledge of the future in a serene way. The future is precisely the opposite of what pleases their ego to believe. This remark should be accepted in the 21rst Century also.)

LC010
Bear in mind also the real Saviour's words, Nolite sanctum dare canibus, nec mittatis margaritas ante porcos ne conculcent pedibus & conuersi dirumpant vos [Do not give anything holy to the dogs, and do not throw pearls to pigs, in fear that they trample them and, as they turn against you, tear you apart]. This was the reason for me to keep my tongue away from the audience & my pen from paper:

(The understanding of the Centuries should not be given to those who would use it to prosecute only.)

LC011
Then I wished to spread my words fo the common's advent the future causes by means of ambiguous and enigmatic sentences, as well as the most immediate ones, & those that I perceived [saw], whatever the human mutations to come must not outrage the auricular's fragility [not be considered as a lack respect], & on the whole written in a nebulous form, rather than with a prophetic style.

(The popular success of the Centuries is only a secondary motivation, because it is the king, the queen and the court of his time that are the recepients of his writing. The future changes would seem scandalous to the king.)

LC012
to the extent that, Abscondisti hæc à sapientibus, & prudentibus, id est potentibus & regibus, & enucleasti ea exiguis & tenuibus [You have hidden these things from the wise and the circumspect, that is from the mighty and the rulers, but you have revealed them to the small and weak] & to prophets by the means of immortal God, & good angels have received the spirit of divination, by which they see the distant causes, & come to foretell the future events,

(It may be wiser to inform the people than the king about the future.)

LC004
because it is not possible to leave you in writing what the insult of time will destroy: Since the inheritable word of the occult prediction will be intermingled inside my entrails. [refers to the Roman practice that consisted in reading the future in animal intestines]:

(Conscious of the relentless works of his opponents, Nostradamus codes his writing not to provoke censorship. The part on the stomach is quite difficult to grasp. The Romans used to read their oracles in chicken guts: If this is the real meaning of this part, ND implies that he left nothing else but the text we posess and that we should content ourseleves with it. But, the term stomach could also stand for a place or a piece of furniture. Many quatrains appear to indicate that some explanations are hidden in a sure place. The term stomach could then be brought close to quatrain 6707 that refers to a treasure in a kitchen wall. This hypothesis is investigated in depth on this website in the region of "Mysteries, secrets, writing and treasures".)

LH073
If I had wanted to date each quatrain, I could have done so. But this would not have been agreeable to all, least of all to those interpreting them, and was not to be done until Your Majesty granted me full power to do so, lest calumniators be furnished with an opportunity to injure me.

(This part may refer to Nostradamus' demand of a promotinon - 16th Century way. But before all, the general perception is that the seer may be in danger because of his writng. If the king accepted to protect him, ND could date his prophecies to make them more understandable. In the 16th Century athmosphere of hate and denunciation between Catholics and Protestants, he lives with the risk of being accused of heresy. Note that Nostradamus was not the official astrologer of the queen Mary de Medicis, so he only received a partial protection from her. The queen had surrounded herself with Claude Dariot, Auger Ferrier and Antoine Mizauld. ND was an invitee at the court.)

LH003
I have searched for some occasion on which to manifest high heart and stout courage, and thereby obtain even greater recognition of Your Most Serene Majesty.

(One of the reasons for his masterpiece would be to transmit his special knowledge on to future generations. There also stands in the background a persistent demand of status from the king.)

H114
Most Serene King, but for the fact that some given to censure would raise difficulties. Therefore I withdraw my pen and seek nocturnal repose:

(Censorship is the heart of the problem. Nostradamus had been worried by the inquisition tribunal during his stay in Agen in 1555.)

LH018
Notwithstanding those who cannot contain the malignity of the evil spirit, as time elapses after my death, my writings will have more weight than during my lifetime

(The time span of his prophecies extends way beyond his own life time. And besides a few intelligent minds, the prophecies will only be understood after the facts. The reason for encoding may reside in his willingness to transmit his knowledge to future generations and to assume the role of a prophet. Without the encoding, the Centuries would have been censored, modified, forgotten and the course of destiny eventually changed.)

LC019
And so once again, my son, if I have eschewed the word prophet, I do not wish to attribute to myself such lofty title at the present time, for whoever is called a prophet now was once called a seer; since a prophet, my son, is properly speaking one who sees distant things through a natural knowledge of all creatures.

(Addressing his son, Nostradamus appears certain that he will reach the status of a prophet after his death. This prophecy is at least partially fulfilled since many American and European sources refer to him as "The Prophet". But the term prophet, when it designates Nostradamus, does not have the same connotation as for Muslims and Christians, at least not at this point in history. The deciphering could leave to the future generations a permanent testimony of the divine reasons, and this would definitely give to ND at least the status of a saint. Let's remember that Nostradamus was officially a Catholic, of Jewish descent, but that many peoople give him credit for having been a Protestant or / and Great Master of the Order of the Templars. And, to consider the canon 36 of the Laodicius religious concile (345 AD), his activity of an astrologer was not compatible with the "good faith" of the fervent Catholics. This was also true to Luther who condemned astrology.

LH014
I have made computations for events over almost as long a period to come as that which has already passed, and by these they will know in all regions what is to happen in the course of time, just as it is written, with nothing superfluous added, although some may say, There can be no truth entirely determined concerning the future.

(The future can be predicted, but it also can be changed - he seems to imply. This would certainly be the case if some of the most dramatic prophecies were to be understood before their time : They would deliberately be avoided. This would be a good reason to encode his writing in order to keep them secret, and convince of their validity after they happen. And if enough people believed in them, the huge humanly caused futuure disasters could be avoided. At least, it could be hoped for. But for the time being, there isn't enough evidence to establish that the Nostradamus prophecies are definitively prophetic.)

LC015
It is quite true, Sire, that my natural instinct has been inherited from my forebears, who did not believe in predicting, and that this is natural instinct has been adjusted and integrated with long calculations. At the same time, I freed my soul, mind and heart of all care, solicitude and vexation. All of these prerequisites for presaging I achieved in part by means of the brazen tripod.

(Some have the gift of clairvoyance and others don't, we would more simply state nowadays. The gift comes from God. This explanation is typical of the 16th Century determinism, which filled the thoughts of Nostradamus. God chooses who may understand the writing, and who should not... with all due consequences.)

. go on with your own analysis

The Centuries recipients

LC002
Your late arrival, Cesar Nostradame my son, has made me spend my a lot of time in constant attention at night left in writing, and leave you remembrance, after the body extinction of your parent, for the benefit of mankind what the divine essence has given me to know by means of astronomical revolutions.

("Your late advent" simply means "young" and refers to the age difference between him and Cesar, his son. The child is still young or in his mother's womb when the seer writes the Letter to Cesar. It is quite natural for a father to dedicate his book to his son in such moments. This part establishes clearly that he addressses himself to his son, and nothing can support the theory that it would be to a great future world ruler. What comes out of the text is that a knowledge of astrology is required to understand the Centuries. Also bear in mind that Nostradamus had two first children before Cesar, and that both, plus his wife, died of the plague.)

LC003
And since it pleased the Almighty's will that you were not brought in the natural light and earthly place, & I do not want to tell your years that are not yet several, but of the Martial [March / war] months unable to grasp in your feeble understanding [mind] the works I shall be compelled to persue after my [in my old] days:

(The tone may seem irrespectful to some readers, but it's not. The message recipient incapacity to understand astrology will force Nostradamus to persue his work "after his days". This refers to his old days after retirement. "feeble mind" designates a young child or fetus. And this is his son Cesar. The theory that this letter is addressed to someone in the future is a pure invention. Nothing here, nor in the rest of his writing like the foreword to the Almanach enables to accredit the fact that it is aimed at a future monarch. What should be grasped is that one should acknowledge the principles of astrology.)

LH099
In the Epistle that some years ago I dedicated to my son, Cisar Nostradamus, I declared some points openly enough, without presage.

(Just to finish about the recipient of the message issue: The seer clearly states that it is his son. Nevertheless, anyone can, if he wishes, see himself as the spiritual descendant of Nostradamus. This takes nothing away from the fact that the Letter to Cesar brings all the major elements to understand the Centuries. It takes nothing away from the great admiration that the seer carried towards ancient Rome, to the point not only to have titled his book "The Centuries, which refers to a mode of organization of the Roman society, but also to have named his son "Cesar", like a Roman emperor. All this is to verse to the Nostradamus personality, not to the thesis of a hidden recipient of a hidden message. It is also known that since rebirth, kings and emperors do not use astrology to govern their countries any longer - or at least let's hope. So it is quite unlikely that a future "Cesar" will come back to it.

Besides all this digression on the recipient, the most essential part of the sentence is contained in its second half, not in italics, because it holds something much more astonishing to analyze further down in the "decoding" section.)

LH002
Ever since my long-beclouded face first presented itself before the immeasurable deity of your Majesty, O Most Christian and Most Victorious King, I have remained perpetually dazzled by that sovereign sight. I have never ceased to honor and venerate properly that date when I presented myself before a Majesty so singular and so humane.

(As stated above, the "Letter to Cesar" is addressed to his son only, but some parts of the epistle to Henry may at first sight be aimed at an important future character. This hypotheis pleases essentially a group of Monarchists (J de Fontbrune for example) who see there a reason to reinstate the "Comte de Paris" at the head of France. It is a misappropriation. Nostradamus' admiration is clearly directed towards the Roman republic and not monarchy, and his entire love goes to his son Cesar and not to a future monarch. The Letter to Henry is an epitle, which was very common at the time to use to address the king. We should keep in mind that artists depended entirely on the king for all material things. Also refer to the Region of "Power and rulers" on this website.)

LH008
It is to a most prudent and most wise Prince that I have dedicated my nocturnal and prophetic calculations, which are composed rather out of a natural instinct, accompanied by a poetic furor, than according to the strict rules of poetry,

(The thesis of a great future ruler can find a basis here. The poetry is dedicated to a great character named Henry II. But it is definitely not the "Comte de Paris".)

H115
Multa etiam, ô rex omnium potentissime : praeclara et sanè in breui ventura, sed omnia in hac tua epistola innectere non possumus, nec volumus : sed ad intelligenda quaedam facta horrida fata, pauca libanda sunt, quamuis tanta sit in omnes tua amplitudo et humanitas homines, deosque pietas, vt solus amplissimo et Christianissimo Regis nomine, et ad quem summa totius religionis auctoritas deferatur dignus esse videare [Many events, most powerful of all Kings, of the most astounding sort are to transpire soon, but I neither could nor would fit them all into this epistle; but in order to comprehend certain horrible facts, a few must be set forth. So great is your grandeur and humanity before men, and your piety before the gods, that you alone seem worthy of the great title of the Most Christian King, and to whom the highest authority in all religion should be deferred].

(Church and state have been separated in France since 1906. If Henry II was a king of the future, then this part would logically indicate that the Christian integrist form of government will be reinstated. This subject is further dealt with in the region of "Rulers and Power".)

H116
But I shall only beseech you, Most Clement King, by this singular and prudent humanity of yours, to understand rather the desire of my heart, and the sovereign wish I have to obey Your Most Serene Majesty, ever since my eyes approached your solar splendor, than the grandeur of my labor can attain to or acquire. From Salon, this 27th of June, 1558.

(The admiration that Nostradamus demonstrates here for the recipient of the letter overpasses any formal language. Even in a 16th Century pure flattery, one does not address the king in this way. Plus, Henry II did not understand much to the Nostradamus masterpiece.)

. you may go on with your own analysis

Encoding techniques

(Part 1 - See also the region of Astrology)

End of the story next week, translation still under way

. you may go with your own analysis

The Nostradamus Centuries Cipher

Foreword

Why encode?

The Centuries recipients

Encoding techniques

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