There are many who believe that Nostradamus is a great profit and seer, however, I kind of wonder if it was something more of social commentary of his time. A lot of what he wrote could of been taken either way... What are your thoughts?

Have you read or heard the story of how he predicted the exhumation of his own grave and was buried with the prediction ?

Yes, i heard that story. Though I wonder how much we can trust those who pillage tombs. It might be just something to pick up the hype.

Personally, I don't believe someone could have that many coincidences in their writing with out being profitic. Still, I'm trying to see this from the other side of the coin.

Is there anyone who doesn't think he was a seer?

Being a social commentator in the times of the inquisition was highly dangerous. The inquisition swept through France, Holland and Germany. The same criticisms might apply to his quatrains if they were social commentary (ie that they were vague)

If they were social commentary then what was the point if they were vague and not widely understood as social commentary ?

No one, I think can answer that cept Nostradamus. If he was making a social commentary, then being vague would be just as valuable as being a seer. He can deny what it was about. Those he was writing for, would understand exactly what he was saying, with out those who could persecute him knowing he was making comments about them.

Didn't he write a number of long letters to his son, which explain in a little bit more of a narrative style what his intent was ?

His Quatrains are not the only writings of Nostradamus which have survived. I seem to recall that he wrote to his son that people will not understand his writings but shall think they do. I have lost the book in which I read Nostradamus' own narrative writings but it is worth finding the text if you are keen to pursue this objective.

If anyone can find us an online text that would be superb.

I'm not aware of letters written to his son. Can you find the link that said it?

Either way, seer or social commentary, he'd have to be careful of how he said things. Both were crimes punishable by death.

Yes thank you...

The question for me is, where was this found.. was it given up by a direct family member or found by some unknowing person? What is the validity of it?

I can't tell by the site.. I might be over looking it though.

Hello Jessica,
I believe that Nosty had to bring his prophecies, (not profits), home to his kitchen table, in the Sixteenth Cent.. Some of these are coming home to roost, right now. To transpose them from the Sixteenth Century book, into today's headlines, you have to solve some simple puzzles. To make today's headlines track back then, he had to create little Arabesques, that made sense to his own people. Any name or date, put out in the clear, back then, would generate enormous 'Participant fulfillments', between then and now. His, ' a man called the Gaul, would lead France three times', now is understood as being a play on Charles de Gaulle. Le Grand Charles, did lead France, three seperate times, under the Third, Fourth, and Fifth, Republics. Somewhere in all of this, a whole bunch of Frogs, figured it out; hence, "Le Grand Charles".