-
7/30/2019 Nostradamus Scrying
1/3
Nostradamus Scrying - A Modern Interpretation - Pt. 1Nostradamus
used the methods of the 4th Century neo-Platonist Iamblichus, a
reprint of whose book De Mysteriis Egyptorum was published at Lyons
in 1547 and almost certainly read by Nostradamus. It may well have
been the source of his experiments with prophecy, for soon
afterwards his almanacs started to appear. Here isa link to
"Iamblichus: Theurgia orOn the Mysteries of Egypt" online for
further reading, background and reference.Since we know this was a
direct influence upon Nostradamus workings it is quiteuseful to
recreate the method and mindset
used.http://www.esotericarchives.com/oracle/iambl_th.htm
It is not at all difficult to imagine he used the ideas and
methods of other contemporary occultists of the time such as Henry
Cornelius Agrippa, Johannes Trithemius and very likely that he
utilized pertinent portions of Peter de Abano's "Heptameron" or
Magical Elements which was widely plaigarized and borrowed from.
Ialso surmise that Nostradamus like John Dee was very familiar with
Agrippa's "Of Occult Philosophy" in manuscript form.
In addition, there are some good modern resources on Renaissance
Magic and horary and electional astrology. I have completed some
classwork from Christopher Warnock's website Renaissance
Astrological Magic and was very pleased with the materials and
presentation of them. I highly recommend this site as a
reference/knowledge base and learning resource to anyone who has an
interest in
this.http://www.renaissanceastrology.com/astrologicalmagic.html
All of this gives us a lot of material to utilize with to
re-create the scryingmethod that Nostradamus may have used. To be
truthful, I cannot say it is the precise or exact method as this
has been lost or was never minutely detailed by Nostradamus himself
but I think we can get in the region. Let us examine what he did
write in quatrain form about it.
Here was his own "magic formula" written in quatrain form.
Century I.--Quatrain I.Gathered at night in study deep I
sat,Alone, upon the tripod stool of brass,Exiguous flame came out
of solitude,
Promise of magic that may be believed.
This next passage conveys in prose what the last and the
following quatrain conveys in verse.
THE MAGICAL CALL BY WATER.
Century I.--Quatrain 1.The rod in hand set in the midst of the
Branches,He moistens with water both the fringe and foot;Fear and a
voice make me quake in my sleeves;Splendour divine, the God is
seated near.
In his prophetic work, the common interpretation runs that he
placed a bowl withwater and special oils on a tripod, and
nutmeg.Nutmeg was used as a hallucinogen or enthogen although he
did not say how precisely.The general suggestion is that he sat
with a wand, branch, or divining-rod of laurel. This in some way
had power to evoke his Genius. When it appeared, he moistened in
the brazier that held water, himself, the fringe of his robe, and
his foot.Of course, more than that had to have occurred in my own
considered opinion andit is a description that was one of
Nostradamus cryptic signatures.
-
7/30/2019 Nostradamus Scrying
2/3
What is missing here is another element he mentions to his son
Cesar in the preface to The Prophesies - "But being surprised
sometimes in the ecstatic work, amid prolonged calculation, and
engaged in nocturnal studies of sweet odour"
From that, something in the standard description above doesn't
sound right to me. Nostradamus gives hints however. The key to this
working is the psychic trance-state or gnosis. Again, I am not
trying to exactly reproduce Nostradamus workings but sometimes in
doing something in praxis and through research you discovernew
insights.
First, I want to address the issue of the nutmeg. It is a
curious thing but wascommon in Renaissance magic and alchemy for
its enthogenic properties. An enthogen properly defined is a
psychoactive substance used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual
context. The word enthogen means - "generating the divine within".
From the Erowid vaults nutmeg is perhaps best described as a
deliriant. In low doses nutmeg inebriation shares characteristics
of the combination of alcohol andmarijuana. In higher doses the
effects are more similar to those of the tropanealkaloids, causing
confusion, disorientation, and hallucinations. The effects ofnutmeg
come on and dissipate in waves. One moment there may be a feeling
of inebriation, while the next moment the feeling has passed. As
the effects subside,the veil between ordinary and non-ordinary
reality remains thin, allowing the user some control to switch back
and forth between states of consciousness. Here is the page cite
for further reading.
http://www.erowid.org/plants/nutmeg/nutmeg_article1.shtml
For this application and based on my own knowledge nutmeg used
for enthogenic purposes would not have been eaten or consumed with
water, it would have been taken more commonly with warmed wine or
mulled wine also called Ypocras. From a historical perspective
water was rarely consumed in the medieval and early Renaissance
period because of the risks associated with it and getting sick
from it. Wine, ale and beer were the beverages of choice.Nutmeg is
linked with the Jovian influence or the time of Jupiter in the
astrological sense.In addition the "sweet odour" Nostradamus refers
to is nutmeg which was also burned as incense. Freshly ground
nutmeg is reputed to be more potent than pre-ground.
Nutmeg is not very conducive to adjustment of dose since onset
may take up to six hours, making familiarity with potency quite
important.A general guide for usage would suggest 3-5 grams or
1-1.5 tsp for a low or threshold dose and 6-10 grams or 1.5-3 tsp
for a moderate dose. For the initial workings and especially if you
have never consumed nutmeg as an enthogen I would strongly
recommend no more than 10 grams or 3 tsps. Best to opt on the safe
side here.The easiest way to take nutmeg is to grind whole nutmegs
and add them to juice or warm it in wine with other spices. Freshly
ground nutmeg is the best, becausepowdered nutmeg soon loses the
oils that give it its distinct flavor and uniqueproperties.For
consumption of the nutmeg I suggest a glass of Ypocras or mulled
wine. People in the Medieval and Renaissance era would have been
very familiar with this po
pular drink.I will post a recipe for Ypocras separately for this
purpose.
As far as the "sweet odours" described by Nostradamus I am going
to suggest nutmeg incense.It has a very pleasant sweet smell or
"odour" indeed. Nutmeg incense can be purchased as cones, sticks or
can be compounded with fresh ground nutmeg, with a touch of olive
oil or even water added to make a thick paste, which is then dried
into pellets and burned on a charcoal tab.If you want a better
smoke from the paste add a touch of gum mastic to it incide
-
7/30/2019 Nostradamus Scrying
3/3
ntally.
This brings us to the wand and tripod. The wand is a stick of
hazel wood or laurel. It likely had cabalistic symbols inscribed
upon it, although we don't know for sure as it was not related by
Nostradamus. I think one of the better and moreclear references
here is "The Magus" by Francis Barrett. It was written as a series
of books and although published in 1801 it was clearly derived from
the older works of Agrippa, Trithemus of Spandheim and Peter de
Abano.From "The Magus" the wand would have been inscribed with Agla
- On - Tetragrammaton or Ego Alpha et Omega with each word
separated by hexagrams. There are otherreferences in Agrippa's
monumental "Of Occult Philosophy". A link to that is
here:http://www.esotericarchives.com/agrippa/home.htm
Next, is the question of the tripod. Nostradamus refers to this
in the quatrain-"Alone, upon the tripod stool of brass". He was
supposedly setting on a brass tripod stool.Now the purpose of this
is somewhat unclear. In other references the water set upon a
tripod stand. In "The Magus", Barrett gives the use of the tripod
as the burning of "odoriferous suffumigations" or incense.The Magus
is here in its entirety for
reference..http://www.sacred-texts.com/grim/magus/index.htm
