The future is unknown and uncertain. Sometimes we worry about what is going to happen in the coming days. Will my investment bring profit? Is the third world war looming ahead? Will there be another catastrophic flood next year? Of course, there are people with the philosophy, ‘Que sera, sera.’ But in general, we are eager to peek into what is stored for us in the future. We read horoscopes, we go to fortunetellers, we put faith in predictions, foretelling, prophecies, etc.
The end of the world prophecy is one of the oldest prophecies that always evoked dread and anxiety among people. They mostly came from religions. According to the Mayan calendar, the world was supposed to end its first great cycle of 5,125 years in 2012. Fortunately, the prophecy did not come true. Actually, the world was scheduled to end in the previous year, 2011! According to an article by Rick Paulas published in Vice Magazine in 2014, the owner of a radio network in California named Harold Camping spent over $100 million spreading his apocalypse prophecy. And he predicted based on biblical numerology that the world would come to an end on May 21, 2011.
In delivering prophecies, one individual who beats all is Nostradamus. Nostradamus was a French physician and astrologer. He was born in 1503 and died in 1566. In 1555 he published his book of prophecies entitled: Centuries. He wrote the prophecies in four-lined rhymed verses or quatrains in a rather obscure and vague manner. Thus, they are open to interpretations.
Nostradamus became famous during his lifetime when some of his prophecies seemed to have materialized. After more than 450 years of his death, he remains well known and his prophecies are still drawing a lot of interest and amazement. Many people strongly believe in them. The Second World War, the development of the atomic bomb, the 9/11 terrorist attack, and the coronavirus pandemic were all predicted by Nostradamus as his avid followers claim based on their interpretation of his prophecies.
On December 27, 2021, the Sun published an article written by Patrick Knox and Laura Gesualdi-Gilmore. In that article, the authors mentioned some predictions for 2022 ostensibly made by Nostradamus in his book as interpreted by his believers. The predictions included the death of Kim Jong Un of North Korea, a huge earthquake in Japan, and the collapse of the European Union. There was indeed a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Fukushima on March 16, 2022, which caused 3 deaths and about 100 injuries – not a huge one though in terms of casualties and damages. However, Kim Jong Un is still alive and the EU has not collapsed either.
Since Nostradamus’s prophecies are not clear and straightforward, it is difficult to determine whether any of them came true. His hard-core believers and enthusiasts often translate them into meaningful predictions by applying their own analysis of events and trends. Sometimes someone comes up with the claim that he/she found the right decoding formula for the Nostradamus’s quatrains and provides the interpretation of his prophecies accordingly.
One such person was Mario Reading, a British author. He was born in 1953 in the UK and died on January 29, 2017. In 2006 he published a book entitled, ‘Nostradamus: The Complete Prophecies for the Future.’ In his book, he presented some predictions of Nostradamus for the British royal family which are really interesting.
“Queen Elizabeth II will die, circa 2022, at the age of around ninety- six, five years short of her mother's term of life.” It may be recalled here that Mario Reading wrote it in 2006 – sixteen years before the queen died and he himself died five years before the queen’s death.
Mario Reading further stated that King Charles will face persistent attacks on himself and his second wife by a certain proportion of the British population who held resentments against him following his divorce from Diana. The king would not be able to withstand the pressure and eventually abdicate. Then who would become the next king? Well, as Nostradamus put it in his quatrain, ‘Mis a son lieu que de roi n’aura signe’ meaning ‘A man will replace him who never expected to be king.’ According to Reading’s interpretation, King Charles III will abdicate in favour of his son but this son wouldn’t be Prince William but Prince Harry! In Reading’s words, ‘That would make him King Henry IX, aged just thirty-eight.’
Prince Harry became 38 on September 15, 2022. So, it should happen before September 15, 2023, when he will be 39. That’s not too long, let’s wait and see!
The writer is a former Corporate Professional and Academic
