Nostradamus & The Tarot Code By Philip F. Harris I hope to shed some light on the current popular interpretations of the symbols presented on the History Channel television documentary "Lost Book of Nostradamus" as sadly lacking in efficacy.  In doing so, the current buzz around this book will have done Nostradamus and humanity a great disservice.   It is important to keep in mind that current interpretations are geared to a comparison of the text to Christian ideology, myths, and scriptures.  Most of the analysis is focused upon comparing Nostradamus, prophecies of the Bible, and to a larger extent, revelations in the Bible.  These efforts appear self-serving and self-fulfilling.   Nostradamus was a mystic with ties to several secret societies, most notably the Rose Cross.  In this context, new levels of observation come to light when viewing the images contained in the text.  As a matter of fact, if one examines The Secret Symbols of the Rosicrucians, it will be clear that there is more than meets the eye with respect to the intent and meaning of the Nostradamus prophecies.  Many interpretations today of Tarot symbols make it clear that their understanding is not at the esoteric levels.  In my co-authored novel "Waking God," the concept of a Tarot Code was introduced.  The book is a mystical treatise in the guise of a spiritual thriller, and states that the Tarot has its roots in imagery that preceded the Assyrian Empire and has been carried forth into the modern era. These symbols provide a pictorial history of human evolution as well as clues or prophecies regarding our future.  These symbols are found in almost every civilization, and yet are understood by only a few. The symbols of Nostradamus transcend those images often touted by biblical scholars as messages of doom and world's end; however, the only real accurate statement with these interpretations is that the prophecies give clues as to the Apocalypse.  But even here, it is important to remember that the term "apocalypse" does not mean the end of the world.  The word means "revelation, to uncover, knowledge revealed" and not Armageddon or the destruction of the physical world.  The term apocalypse has been hijacked by religious dogma to frighten unsuspecting followers into believing that all prophecies that deal with the word apocalypse support their notion that one day, deity will destroy its creation and only the faithful will survive.  The "apocalypse" of Nostradamus deals with the "end of lies," not the "end of times." It should be understood that the true and inner meaning behind the words of Nostradamus concerns humanity's spiritual awakening.  The prophecies are a light post aimed at leading humanity into a new era of spirituality that is devoid of dogma and founded upon the notion of personal spiritual enlightenment. The symbols of Nostradamus and the Tarot are not about an anti-Christ.  Throughout religious history biblical texts, taken out of context, have been used to justify all manner of crime and injustice.  The prophecies of Nostradamus are another voice crying out in the wilderness of human history urging us to change our ways and enter a period of great enlightenment.  It is incumbent upon modern interpreters of these messages not to fall into the age-old religious trap of using these words of wisdom to frighten humanity into a set of self-fulfilling prophecies.  One thing must be clear from the outset.  Nostradamus is not a purveyor of doom and gloom.  He does not predict the end of the world, nor does he foretell of the "second coming" of anyone.  Regardless of the words, he does not believe in an anti-Christ.  Nostradamus does not tell "all" in the quatrains, rather he reveals his mysteries in his symbols. The quatrains are like the parables that are understood by the few.  They are inner truths reserved for the initiates.  While many quibble over the meaning of the words, they fail to see the heart that lies beneath.  The Universe speaks in images and symbols, and Nostradamus was a tool of the Universe. He was an initiate of the highest order and it is to his symbols one must turn to grasp the rudiments of the words.  They go hand in hand. They are the duality that shapes these symbols and became what are commonly called the Tarot.  That Nostradamus used that symbology is indisputable.  His real story is in the picture and not the text.  To begin to understand the inner message of Nostradamus, all religious connotations must be cast aside.  Do not think of the images of the Pope as necessarily being the literal Pope.  Do not see the serpent as evil, see it as wisdom.  Contrary to very popular belief and error, the burning tower does not represent the end of the world.  The tower is man's dogma undergoing purification of the spiritual fire.  Even Jesus said he came to "baptize by fire."  I doubt he meant he wanted to burn everyone in the flames of Inquisition.  What is Nostradamus telling us? He speaks to our current time in history. He tells us that the world is in chaos. Our leaders are ineffectual, religion has lost its purpose, and that a great transformation is nearing. He indicates that the transformation is not the result of a mythical "second coming" but rather, must stem from the higher thoughts of man, a man that reconnects mentally with the center of All That Is in order to break our cycle of destruction and ignorance. The time is getting close. And as the Hopi have said, "it is we who we have been waiting for." Featured Article in the Spring 2009 Issue of Voice of the Angels.com Magazine which will be published on March 1st, 2009:  www.voiceoftheangelsmagazine.com.  All online subscribers receive a free copy of the hard copy glossy with their subscription.   EXPERIENCE THE TAROT CODE IN YOUR OWN LIFE.... FOR A FREE TAROT CARD READING CLICK HERE. * * * Carlo Saures writes that "A few survivors [of the Great Flood] had been able to preserve, in a series of ideograms, all that men had ever known, all that men will ever know, concerning the vocation of mankind in the presence of the impenetrable mystery of being...In Abram’s hand is a marvelous document: the testament of a lost civilization, brought in an ark." The Tarot may well be those very ideograms and the lost civilization was, perhaps, Atlantis. To take part in discussion of the TAROT CODE, join the Tarot Code Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TarotCode/. * * * WAKING GOD (BOOK I) introduces the theory that a Tarot Code exists as a guide to humanity.  While the currently known cards can be traced back to the Middle Ages as a tool to secretly spread and keep ancient secrets alive, the actual pictorial code existed in ancient Egypt.  It is speculated that the ideograms were actually passed on to them by even earlier and greater civilizations. Any sincere Tarot student knows that every symbol and color on the cards has special meaning.  It is important to recognize that the way the cards are arranged numerically also has significance.  It has been speculated that the Bible has a numeric code as well.  We postulate that when these two numeric codes are viewed in tandem, the Tarot reveals key hidden meanings.  This is especially true in the Book of Revelation.  Here, the chapters, verses, and numbers used in the Apocalypse can be related to the numerics in the Tarot with a new set of meanings for those “with eyes to see.” WAKING GOD begins the exploration of this code.  It is continued more dramatically in Book II, which is well underway.  It is our obvious intention to build an interest in the code and to bring the reader along through our trilogy.  We believe that even DaVinci had access to, and used a form of this code.  He was, after all, a member of a secret society that used such devices to avoid the “stake.”  * * * "Numerous images and methods have been used,” he said, going to a desk drawer,  “but I will mention only one.”  From the drawer, he took a thin deck of oversized cards and offered them to Andrew.  “The Tarot has been the purloined letter for centuries.  It contains the true teachings and exposes religious myths and their opiate effects on humanity.” Andrew shuffled through the cards slowly, taking in bits and pieces of the different scenes depicted on each. “There are twenty-two in your hands, and they contain man’s history and reveal his destiny,” Mantrella said.  “The mastery of its symbols, colors, images, and alphabet can lead one to the mastery of reality.  Take the card the church attributes to me, The Devil.” * * * Waking God makes use of multiple images from Arthur Waite's rendition of the Tarot.  Below are the particular cards referenced from the Rider-Waite-Smith  deck that are mentioned, described, or suggested in the book.  Can you discover the hidden symbolism?  Can you identify how each is linked to the plot of the story?  Explore the cards and discover their code for yourself.   "One showed a woman in white, shoulders draped with a blue cape, sitting on a throne flanked by a black pillar and a white pillar.  On each of the columns was a symbol that she did not recognize, nor did either captivate her.  Instead, Mara was drawn to the stoic expression on the woman's beautiful face.  Her eyes quickly took in the bursts of red and green surrounding the throned woman, then settled on the equal-armed cross on the woman's chest, then at the parchment scroll the image held."   "Nausea stabbed at her and she opened her eyes on the figures of a man and woman, both naked.  The two spread their hands toward an angel emerging from a cloud just above their heads.  In the background, rising between the nude pair, was a perfectly symmetrical mountain that Mara slowly reached out and touched."   "And then the racing images were gone, lost to a picture of a woman in green sitting near a heart with a female symbol on it.  In her hand a scepter; on her head a crown of stars.  The wheat in the foreground stung Mara...."     "A man with a crown of stars, knightly and noble.  Standing in a chariot and guarded by a black sphinx and a white one.  In the background on both sides, the tops of castles...."     "Picture of a naked woman with flowing blond hair pouring water from decorated pitchers into a pool.  Overhead burns a brilliant star in the night sky, surrounded by seven white stars...."      "Another image rushed on her.  A naked woman, wrapped in a purple cloth, holding a double helix in each hand, suspended in a green wreath...."     "Rising from a tomb, a child raises its hands toward a trumpeting angel.  On either side of him, a woman and a man also rise up from what must be death...."       "In a rise of anger, Mara glared up at the old woman only to see the final image in her view, that of the Devil sitting with the talons of a large bird, high above the chained images of a disrobed woman and man.  Both wore horns, as well as loose chains around their necks.  Nestled in the long horns of the beast was a pentagram...."