Another Nostradamus Book
Zip Dobyns
While in New Zealand, I spotted a new book on interpretations of the prophecies of Nostradamus and had to add it to my collection. The authors are V.J. Hewitt and Peter Lorie. It is devoted to the remaining years of our decade, published in London by Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd. in 1991.
The interpretations are based on theories developed by V.J. and they take major liberties with the original texts, coming up with results which are hard to follow despite a chapter devoted to the procedures. V.J. substitutes modern letters for the original ones and keeps the latter to be used to make new words or treats the original words as anagrams, rearranging them to make new words. New verses are thus produced by what seems to be a rather arbitrary reshuffling of letters. V.J. believes that her theories are revealing the knowledge of Nostradamus which he hid in his contrived verses. Others may feel that she is being guided by psychic inspiration in her rearrangements of the original words. All of the following predictions are produced by repeatedly rearranging five quatrains. Since no one really understand how psychic ability works, especially precognition of the future, the ultimate test of V.J.s work will be the accuracy of the forecasts.
We do not have long to wait for some of the predictions. Ex-King Michael of Rumania is to return to his country on February 4, 1992 to help to calm the turbulence, and true democracy is to come to the country between June 2, 1995 and February 6, 1998.
Prince Charles is to be crowned King of England on May 2, 1992, yet he is also predicted to “take the throne” in 1991?
The countries of Eastern Europe are to begin joining the European Community after February 1, 1994.
Margaret Thatcher is to be re-elected as leader of the Conservatives in 1995.
Great achievements in space exploration are to occur in 1992 following January 5.
But serious accidents are predicted for Russian spacecraft with one crashing on August 4, 1994 and another catastrophe to occur on May 1, 1997. Yeltsin is described as chief when these accidents happen.
Bush is to be re-elected President of the U.S. in 1992 but Quayle will not be his running mate.
Nelson Mandela is to become President of South Africa on July 4, 1994, even though he is a “dying man.”
In 1995, Cardinal Hume of England is to become the next Pope.
Also during 1995, Switzerland’s financial reputation and consequently her wealth are to be destroyed as a secret fraud is revealed which began in 1991.
AIDS is to spread massively into south Europe around the Mediterranean area, especially in Rome, by March 4, 1993.
Japan’s yen is vulnerable in 1993 to 1995, and her economy hurt in 1998. Part of the weakness is blamed on troubles in the U.S. which keep it from buying as much from Japan. California is to suffer the long anticipated “Great” earthquake on May 8, 1993 at 7:05 P.M. A shift in the San Andreas Fault is to set off the quake and tidal waves to inundate the coast of southern California, putting San Diego under water, perhaps permanently. The waves will also hit Mexico and Central America down to Nicaragua. The main area affected by the quake itself (not the tidal waves) is put between 117 to 121 W longitude and 31 to 38 N latitude. Roads are to be destroyed so survivors have to walk east to Las Vegas for safety, or north to San Francisco (which will be affected but not so severely though the Golden Gate Bridge will be destroyed.) The shock waves are described as continuing for nearly 1 1/2 hours though normal quakes are measured in seconds. Aftershocks are to continue for 13 more days. Widespread collapsed buildings, fires, deaths, and looting are predicted.
Following the great quake, continued climate changes are forecast including drought and fires all across the U.S. which have a devastating effect on agriculture and bring famine to the country. The uncontrollable brush and forest fires are forecast to continue through 1998, breaking the American economy. However, V.J. says that many Californians will voluntarily leave the state between March 6, 1992 and April 3, 1993. She suggests that their translation of Nostradamus will contribute to this saving of lives and to new respect for psychic powers after the prediction comes true. There are many more forecasts in the book, but the preceding will give you enough specific dates to judge the accuracy of V.J. and Peter’s effort. Personally, I am highly skeptical of most of it. I did check the horoscope of Prince Charles of England and calculated a chart for the predicted quake which is supposed to drown San Diego.
Prince Charles, oldest son of Queen Elizabeth, was born on November 14, 1948 at 9:14 P.M. UT in London, 51 N 30, 0 W 10. His major emphasis in the chart is the loaded fourth house, and he is known to be a very private person. He does have the Sagittarian theme in the fifth house, combining the traditional idea of royalty (letter five) with ultimate value in some form (Chiron, Sagittarius, and Jupiter in its own sign), which combines with the rising Leo and Pluto and Ceres in that sign in the first house to add strong fire to the water emphasis. Earth is supported by the Taurus Moon and node in the Capricorn house trine Saturn in Virgo in the Taurus house, so he can be practical. Air is the weakest element with Uranus in its own house often symbolizing a part of the nature which will be developed later in life. Charles expresses it in his concern for the ecology of the planet, a “cause” which also fits the nurturing instincts of the fourth house and the idealism of the strong Sagittarius. But I don’t think that he can take life “lightly,” the air gift, and despite his powerful fourth and fifth houses, he is not very involved in his children, mostly leaving them to Diane to raise. His marriage has been in trouble for some years.
His chart is progressed to the date when he is predicted to be crowned King of England. For that to happen, of course, his mother would have to resign the position. I see almost nothing in the chart to support the forecast. His P MC will have just started an octile to natal MC as P Sun begins an octile to its natal position so solar arc directions produce this aspect between all directed planets and their natal positions. The period, coming around age 44 to 46 for everyone, has been described by psychology as commonly one of “mid-life crisis.” The patterns can indicate major changes in home and status, but there should also be some favorable aspects to support the elevation to the position of one of the richest monarchs in the world. P MC, as a key to status and power, is also opposite Chiron but that is more indicative of the partial estrangement from his children as he is mostly living apart from Diana and the children. Two to four years ago, P MC squared P Ceres when the distancing became obvious, and currently for several years P Mars is quincunx P Ceres with a similar message. These aspects could be read as a change of job or a change in the person’s relationship to parents or being a parent, but I would expect more positive aspects to accompany them for a major elevation in the life position. P Mars is also square natal Vesta, with the same dual potential—strain connected to work (Vesta) or home, family and mate (Vesta in Libra in the fourth house). Uranus holds a very long quincunx to Chiron with a similar potential.
Charles’ P Ascendant is conjunct Saturn which could indicate a personal move into increased power or tension involving power or power people or conscience. P Sun trine P Saturn is the one truly appropriate aspect but it hardly seems strong enough by itself. P Ascendant is just about to leave a trine to the north lunar node but natally they are closely square each other. It is also semisextile the natal Ascendant and quincunx the Descendant, fitting the decision to spend more time alone and less with his wife. Many other aspects seem to me to reflect the marital strain such as P Mercury quincunx P Pluto, P Vesta square Pluto, and P Venus coming to a quincunx to the East Point though it is trine P Juno. On the supposed coronation date, P Moon is past P Venus and just forms a quincunx to the East Point. There are three moderately appropriate transits for the predicted coronation date; T Jupiter on Saturn, T Venus on the Moon, and T Chiron near the Ascendant. Much stronger progressions will be present in March of 2007 when Charles will have P Sun sextile Sun (and thus all planets sextile their natal positions in solar arc directions), P Venus conjunct Jupiter and opposite Uranus and P Moon, P Mars opposite the Ascendant for a major change in activity with other people, and P MC trine Neptune.
The predicted southern California earthquake could happen on May 8, 1993, but again I think it is unlikely. And the details specified by V.J. and Peter are even more unlikely. I think that earthquakes cannot last more than a few minutes and they are mostly over in seconds though there can be aftershocks occasionally for months. San Diego is largely built on hills and it would take an unheard-of submergence of the land to put it permanently under water. The northwest coast of Washington is in far more danger of such a fate as geological records show past times when the ground dropped as much as 12 or more feet, putting the roots and lower trunks of whole forests into salt water which of course killed the trees. If the northern edge of the Gulf of California was breached, the sea could rush into the Imperial Valley which is below sea level, but most of the area around San Diego is safely elevated beyond the reach of even a large tsunami. It is also unlikely that roads would be so destroyed that people would have to walk to Las Vegas or San Francisco. Elevated freeways and bridges can collapse but ordinary highways are much harder to demolish. The statement that a shift in the San Andreas Fault would set off the big quake is also strange. It is a shift in a fault which IS the quake and the San Andreas is miles inland from San Diego and mostly north, running up to San Francisco with its nearest approach to Los Angeles about 35 miles away. The offshore area from San Diego down to Nicaragua would have to shake to produce a tsunami in that coastal area.
From what I have read of the geological situation in southern California, San Diego is less likely to experience a large quake than the rest of the state and the whole Pacific coast up through Canada to Alaska. A December 11, 1991 article in the Los Angeles Times offered two warnings to the Los Angeles area. A series of 6 quakes over the last four years suggest that the Sierra Madre Fault may be due for a quake greater than magnitude 7. The dates have been October 1, 1987 in the Whittier Narrows with an M (magnitude) of 5.9; June 26, 1988 in Upland with an M of 4.7; December 3, 1988 in Pasadena with an M of 4.9; June 12, 1989 in Montebello with an M of 4.5; February 28, 1990 in Upland with an M of 5.2; June 28, 1991 in Sierra Madre with an M of 5.8. No quakes as large as the 5.8 had been experienced in that area in the last 50 years. Geologists say that the recent quakes have been mostly deep and they are concerned that the surface area is under increasing strain and may give way before long.
The other warning involved the Santa Monica-Hollywood Fault which runs along the southern edge of the Santa Monica Mountains. This had been thought to be inactive for the past 3 million years, but recent evidence suggests that quakes within the last few tens of thousands of years have ruptured the surface beneath what is now Beverly Hills. No one is predicting a date for the next quake on either of these faults, but they both lie beneath heavily populated areas which could experience massive damage if there were a big shock. Additional work is now underway, seeking to determine a more precise date for the last quake under Beverly Hills. The two faults under discussion are among some 100 active faults in the Los Angeles region and many have become increasingly active in recent years.
The chart drawn for May 8, 1993 does have a good many fixed squares and fixed signs (and Saturn) are associated with earthquakes. P Pluto is rising in the chart in a close conjunction with the East Point and widely square Vesta and Saturn which are conjunct in Aquarius in the fourth house. Pluto is also widely opposite the Sun in Taurus which exactly squares the MC and Chiron in Leo. Mercury in Taurus in the sixth house opposes the Ascendant. Mars is in Leo in the ninth house widely square Mercury. Despite all the squares in fixed signs, there is no complete grand cross. Mars is part of a grand fire trine which includes Venus-Ceres in Aries in the Leo house and the north lunar node in Sagittarius on the cusp of the second house. Mars is also sextile Jupiter in Libra in the eleventh house while the Neptune-Uranus conjunction is sextile East Point-Pluto and trine Sun. The Sagittarius Moon is sextile Vesta-Saturn. Pallas in Pisces in the fourth house holds a yod to Mars and Jupiter. Overall, I could not rule out a quake, but I also would not predict one.
I also put in all the asteroids which might conceivably be related to earthquakes, but did not feel that they offered support for the forecast. The north node of Mars and both nodes of Mercury were on the Sun. The north node of Uranus was on the south lunar node on the eighth house cusp while the south nodes of Jupiter and Pluto were on Neptune-Uranus in the third house. The consistent theme in this collection of nodes involves the mind, ideas and communication so it might refer to the anxiety, verbal exchanges and perhaps even travel away from southern California which could result from the prediction if many people who believe in psychic revelations hear about it. I have already heard of local channelers who say the date is off a year or two, or the area is not exactly accurate, etc. Astrologers who live in southern California can watch the charts of family, friends, and clients to see whether individual horoscopes support a time of stress for most people, but I suspect that, like the rest of the psychic earthquake forecasts which I have seen, the day will come and go and not much will happen.