The Nostradamus–Egypt Connection, Part One—Sixteenth Century Prophecies on the Finding of the Golden Lamp of Isis at Philae Temple
Report Topics:
- The Lost Lamp of Isis Unearthed Beneath the Kiosk of Trajan at Philae
- Location of the Lamp of Isis and Other Treasures at Philae
- The Philae Treasure Found Near the Time of a Disaster on the Nile
- Still More Treasures to be Discovered at Philae
Full Report:
In the year 1558 France's most famous seer published the first full edition of his greatest work on prophecy, Les Vrayes Centuries, or The True Centuries. It was composed the 969 quatrains or four-lined poems, each containing in enigmatic language a forecast of things to come from his present day far into the future—and including our era today. Many attempts have been made to decipher Nostradamus' words, and his secret codes can be broken, but only by delving deep into the hidden meanings of his original Old French texts.
Nostradamus appears to have had a particular fascination with the land of the Nile, its High Initiations and buried treasures of lost knowledge that one day are prophesied to be brought back to light.
The first two quatrains in the Centuries, describing the seer's methods of divination, are almost word for word taken from Marsilio Ficino's translation of the classical author Iamblichus' De Mysteriis Aegyptorum, On the Mysteries of Egypt, first printed in Venice in 1497 and reprinted in Lyons in 1547.
The prophet himself wrote and had published about 1552 a most enigmatic work entitled The Book of (H)Orus Apollo, Son of Osiris, King of Egypt, partly based on the Hieroglyphia of Horapollon of Phaenebytis, which initially appeared in Greek in the fourth century and in Latin in the fourteenth century.
Nostradamus' version was composed of 182 Epigrams with a total of about 2,000 lines, a rare copy of which is presently kept in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.
At first glance the writing is most obscure with little literary merit—until it is realized that, like his later prophecies, this too was deliberately couched in coded language, to be understood only by Initiates prepared to solve its symbolism.
The prophet very likely visited Egypt in his travels during his "lost years"—between 1537 and 1544—before he finally settled down in Salon-en-Provence in southern France to write his prophecies.
His detailed descriptions of the Temple of Isis at Philae, the sacred complex of Saqqara near Memphis, and especially his understanding of the hidden aspects of the Great Pyramid and Sphinx at Giza, are strong indications he had seen those crumbling sacred sites with his own eyes.
A number of his predictions correlate directly with the prophetic time-line preserved in the measurements of the passageways and chambers inside the Great Pyramid, and in the secret symbolism of the Sphinx.
What follows now is a detailed analysis of the relevant Nostradamian quatrains which forecast where and when the great treasures of Egypt—including the Hall of Records—will one day soon be unearthed for all the world to see and learn from.
The Lost Lamp of Isis Unearthed Beneath the Kiosk of Trajan at Philae
ORIGINAL TEXT:
Sous les antiques édifices vestaux,
Non éloignés d'aqueduc ruiné:
De Sol et Lune son les luisants métaux,
Ardente lampe Traian d'or buriné.
Century V, Quatrain 66.
LINE ONE:
Sous les antiques édifices vestaux—"Under the antique (ancient) edifices (buildings, composing a sacred complex) vestal (or of the Vestal goddess)." The prophet was offering us here the beginning description of a specific temple site.
A number of modern interpreters of Nostradamus, such as Erika Cheetham and Edgar Leoni, taking their cues from the older French commentator Jaubert, are too quick to assign the particulars of this verse to the local landscape where the prophet lived in Provence. They point to the "ancient Vestal temple" as the present-day Convent of Saint-Sauveur-de-la-Fontaine located at Nîmes, built atop a minor sanctuary dedicated to the classical goddess Diana, with the "aqueduct" in line two being the Pont du Garde Roman aqueduct to be seen nearby. However, the reference to "Trajan"—in line four—is not given any adequate explanation.
In truth there was only one "Temple of the Vestal (Virgin) Goddess" recognized among the Schools of Initiation as having precedence above all others throughout the ancient world—the Sanctuary of Isis, located at Philae in southern Egypt. It was both one of the earliest and the last functioning of the goddess Temples, the leading model for Isis worship throughout the Roman Empire before its collapse.
As scholars observe, according to some Egyptian sources Isis was the daughter of Thoth, and along with her brother, Tat, she was a major beneficiary of the Ancient Wisdom associated with the hidden Hall of Records. Her Mysteries were well known to the Ptolemaic Greeks, second only to Thoth-Hermes himself.
If certain keys were left for the opening of the lost Hall at Giza, one of the first places to look would be at Philae, as part of the First level of Initiations received there in the Egyptian Mystery School system.
LINE TWO:
Non éloignés d'aqueduc ruiné—"Not far from the aqueduct (structure that conducts water through it) in ruin (or ruined)." This is a remarkable prophecy, for the "Temple of the Vestal Goddess" Isis at Philae is today located between two major Dams on the Nile, the lower British Aswan Dam built at the beginning of the twentieth century, and the Russian High Dam completed in the late 1960's.
The British had the foresight to construct their Dam with floodgates so that the river's waters could pass through it (aqua ductum) to help preserve the annual fertilizing seasonal flooding of the river, called the High Nile.
The Russians, however, totally oblivious to the ecosystem of the valley, threw their Dam across the river as a permanent barrier, only allowing a relatively small quantity of water through for the generation of hydroelectric power, while the rest built up behind the Dam as Lake Nasser.
It was because the increased water level produced by the Russian Dam threatened to drown Philae completely that UNESCO and other international relief agencies undertook the major project to remove the entire Isis Temple complex off its old foundations on Philae Island and reconstruct it on a higher island nearby called Agilkia, now known as New Philae.
Today multitudes of tourists visit the preserved Sanctuary to the Mother while close to it one can see protruding out of the water the metal and cement pilings built as a temporary dike around old Philae during the transfer process. Also nearby the Temple precincts, just to the north, the cement top of the British Dam can be viewed on the horizon.
The fact that Nostradamus further described the Aswan Dams as "in ruins" or "ruined" may be an ominous forecast that a potential disaster may be in the making. Several engineering experts agree there is growing concern that the Dams could break in the near future, whether because of a major earthquake or by means of a military or terrorist bombing, which would cause a wave of water to descend the Nile valley with tremendous destructive force. As we shall see, the seer gave other particulars about this possible catastrophe in several of his verses.
LINE THREE:
De Sol et Lune sont les luisants métaux—"Of the Sun (Gold) and Moon (Silver) are the shining metals." The indication here is that certain sacred objects associated with the Sun and Moon are still hidden in the Isis Temple and are going to be brought to light.
Traditionally, the metal of the Sun is gold and that of the Moon is silver, designating what the objects will be made of.
However, the references to Sun and Moon linked with the finding might suggest an eclipse event as a clue to the timing.
As to where in the Sanctuary precincts the secret objects will be found may have been hinted at in line one where the prophet stipulated, "under the ancient edifices."
It is not clear if this meant in the bedrock beneath the Temple (in which case the treasure is still somewhere on submerged old Philae Island), or if it alludes to the objects being hidden inside one of the massive floor blocks of the Temple and its many courtyards, moved to Agilkia during the restoration project. The latter possibility is the more likely, for in the next line Nostradamus focused his attention in one specific location.
LINE FOUR:
Ardente lampe Traian d'or buriné—"Fiery (burning) lamp Trajan of gold etched (engraved)." Henry Roberts and other commentators for some reason translated Traian as "Trojan," which makes little sense. "Trajan" on the other hand, which is the correct translation, was the name of the Roman Emperor from A.D. 98 to 116 who initiated massive building programs throughout the Empire. In southern France are a number of arches and minor buildings dedicated to him, but nothing that is directly linked with the other classical remains in Nîmes, as suggested by some interpreters for lines one and two.
However, at Philae in the Isis Temple complex is a most prominent structure that was commissioned under the Emperor's patronage and devotion to the Goddess, that is still today called the Kiosk of Trajan. It dominates the outer area of the main Sanctuary as an open-air courtyard surrounded by lintel-connected columns, fourteen in number. The Kiosk was used as a reception hall for greeting Initiates upon their arrival and was also the place where they received their first ritual into the Isaic Mysteries.
What Nostradamus appears to be depicting here is that somewhere within one of the floor or foundation wall blocks of the Trajan monument are several gold and silver objects, among which is a golden lamp.
This lamp, which once held the High Priestess' fire that illuminated the Holy of Holies in the main Sanctuary, will be rekindled again. Upon its surfaces is an engraved message offering a key that will eventually lead to the opening of the Hall of Records.
The fact that Nostradamus was able to describe in detail the Isis Temple and its environs, even to giving the specifics regarding the Kiosk of Trajan, is a strong indicator that the prophet had visited the Temple in person, and had learned of its secrets firsthand on his travels during his "lost years," from 1537 to 1544.
THE PROPHECY:
In the near future, during the time of an eclipse, and just before a possible disastrous break could occur in the Aswan Dams, an important discovery will be made among the stones beneath the Kiosk of Trajan at Philae. Sacred objects of gold and silver will be brought to light, one of which—a Golden Lamp—will have inscriptions revealing directions for finding the Hall of Records at Giza. These will be given to the Openers when they come to the Temple of Isis, to re-dedicate themselves to the Mother Goddess, and take the Initiation process to another level by re-lighting the Lamp of Isis for the first time in over a thousand years.
Location of the Lamp of Isis and Other Treasures at Philae
ORIGINAL TEXT:
Quand l’écriture D.M. trouvée,
Et cave antique lampe découverte:
Loi, Roi, et Prince Vlpian éprouvée,
Pavillon Reine et Duc sous la couverte.
Century VIII, Quatrain 66.
LINES ONE THROUGH FOUR:
Where the hieroglyphs for the letters D and M are found,
There will be (the entrance) to the ancient cave (or hollow) where the lamp will be discovered,
Along with the Laws of (Osiris) the King and (Horus) the Son (beneath the monument) opened up,
Inside (beneath) the pavilion (the Kiosk of Trajan) Isis and Harpocrates (their images) found under the covering (stones).
Here, Nostradamus offered specific clues as to where to search, and also hinted at what other finds may be made. A key will be the discovery of a hieroglyph inscription that contains the two glyphs for the letters D and M. They will appear on a covering stone (line four) that hides an entrance into either an underground cave, or more likely a hollowed massive foundation stone that was moved during the restoration of Philae onto Agilkia Island. Inside it is where not only the Lamp of Isis preserved, but also important papyri or stone inscriptions outlining the “laws” or sacred teachings of both Osiris and Horus.
Interestingly, local legends at Philae say that the actual remains of Osiris, Isis and their son Horus are still buried on neighboring Biga Island, within sight of Philae and Agilkia, and that someday their remains will be brought to light for all the world to see.
Also contained in the “hollow” along with the Lamp and inscriptions will be images of Isis and Harpocrates, or Horus the Child. These will most likely be made of gold and silver, as described in the last verse.
THE PROPHECY:
Whether by archaeological excavation, or by discovery made after stones will be loosened during an earthquake, an important find will be made inside a hollow foundation stone containining numerous objects. Within will be located the lost Lamp of Isis, sacred texts and images of gold and silver that will awaken the world to the possibilities that Egypt still has many important treasures yet to be revealed. And these treasures will lead the way to the greatest treasure of all, located at Giza.
The Philae Treasure Found Near the Time of a
Disaster on the Nile
ORIGINAL TEXT:
Quand lampe ardente de fue inextinguible
Sera trouvé au temple des Vestales:
Enfant trouvé feu, eau passant par crible:
Périr eau Nymes, Tholose choir les halles.
Century IX, Quatrain 9.
LINE ONE:
Quand lampe ardente de feu inextinguible—"When (the) lamp burning of fire inextinguishable (to be lit and not put out)." We find in this quatrain many of the same prophetic elements contained in the last two verses studied. Once again we meet with the lampe ardente or "burning lamp" mentioned in V, 66, only here the image is of it already re-lit, with the promise that it shall never again be "extinguished" as it was in the past. This symbolizes that in the future the Initiation process will be renewed and maintained in honor of the Great Mother perpetually, without interruption.
LINE TWO:
Sera trouvé au temple des Vestales—"Will be found in the temple of the Vestals," i.e., Philae Sanctuary and the "Vestal" Goddess Isis. This is a repeat of line one of V, 66 and confirms our interpretation of line one here as related directly to events to happen at Philae.
LINE THREE:
Enfant trouvé feu, eau passant par crible—"Child-found fire, water passing through the sieve."
The "fire" in question is presumably of the sacred "burning lamp" of line one.
That it is to be "found" or discovered by a "child" might refer back to the three “children” Nostradamus referred to earlier, in VIII, 97. Will one of the coming Openers of the Giza Hall also be responsible for discovering the lost treasure of Philae?
In a more specific context, however, the “child” could hark back to the Initiations at Philae, in which the "child" was Harpocrates or the child god Horus, who was born of Isis at Philae and symbolized the awakening to the Higher Self within the First level Initiates. We recall from VIII, 66 that one of the statues to be discovered beneath the Kiosk of Trajan will be of Harpocrates.
In the second part of the line, the scenario of "water passing through the sieve" alludes to the river waters passing through the nearby Dams either peacefully in the generation of hydroelectric power or violently as an onrush cascading out of the broken walls of concrete. The latter possibility is borne out in the next line.
LINE FOUR:
Périr eau Nymes, Tholose choir les halles—"To perish (in) Nymes, Tholose to fall the markets (or voices in the halls)." Many commentators interpret Nymes as Nîmes and Tholose as Toulouse, both cities in Nostradamus' native southern France. But the aberrant spellings are clues the prophet had other places in mind. NYMES is a good anagram for SYENE, with only the M replacing the E, allowed by Renaissance anagrammic re-composition rules.
Syene was the ancient Greek name for the city of Aswan, situated on the Nile river just north below the British Dam and Philae.
Likewise, THOLOSE is an anagram for SOTHIS, which refers to the ancient Egyptian calendar system, once based on the heliacal rise of the star Sirius as marking the coming of the High Nile for the year. At both Elephantine Island and at Philae itself were situated the sacred Nilometers, important instruments used to measure the rise and fall of the Nile during the Sothic season.
What the seer may have been predicting is, it will be at the traditional time of the High Nile (which before the building of the Russian Dam used to occur in June-July) that an earthquake or deliberate bombing of the Aswan Dams may take place, destroying them.
If the Dams were to go, a large number of people would indeed "perish" because of the "water" released, and the various city "markets" located along the Nile from Aswan all the way northward to Cairo and into the Delta would certainly "fall" amid terrible chaos and destruction.
As a variant, the last phrase, choir les halles, may have been intended to be read with more of an English language rendering, referring to a "choir" or voices "(in) the halls."
By this Nostradamus may have been forecasting that during the Sothic season the Hall of Records will be opened and entered by a specific group whose voices—as well as their minds, hearts and spirits—will be harmonically attuned.
THE PROPHECY:
In June or July there will be the threat of a breakage in the Aswan Dams which will precipitate a major catastrophe throughout Egypt. During the same season certain Openers will gain entrance into the Hall of Records. Among these Openers will be those who will have helped restart the Initiation process in the Temple of Isis at Philae, with the finding and lighting of the Sacred Lamp of the Goddess.
Two other quatrains contain many of the now familiar descriptive elements as the verses already looked at. The first of these, Century II, Quatrain 17, can be translated in the following manner:
The area of the temple of the Virgin Vestal (Isis, i.e., Philae),
And toward (the temple of) Neith (at Sais, in the Delta) and the mountains where the (spiritual) fire is born (the Pyramids at Giza),
The great flowing that is hidden and contained (the waters kept behind the Dams),
Northward shall overspill the banks, and vines (crops) damaged.
Once again the scenario is of a major deluge to be released from Lake Nasser, to descend the Nile in a great wave of overflowing waters, starting at Aswan and extending the full length of the river north to the Mediterranean, severely destroying the agriculture of the modern Egyptian nation.
The second quatrain, X, 6, has a similar tragic theme, again related to the Isis Temple. It can be read this way:
Sardon Nemaus (SYENE ASWAN DAM) so high will be flooded,
That they will think Deucalion (the Greek Noah) is reborn,
Before the colossal (wave) most will try to flee,
At the Vestal holy place (Philae) the fire (of Initiation) almost extinguished again.
Still More Treasures to be Discovered at Philae
ORIGINAL TEXT:
Le tant d'argent de Diane et Mercure,
Les simulacres au lac seront trouvés:
Le figurier cherchant argile neuve,
Lui et les siens d'or seront abreuvés.
Century IX, Quatrain 12.
LINE ONE:
Le tant d'argent de Diane et Mercure—"The so much of silver of Diana (Isis) and Mercury (Thoth-Hermes)." The seer in this verse gave further clues as to what other sacred objects would be found at Philae, what they would be made of and when they will be discovered. The line here depicts two objects made of silver to represent the figures of the Mother Goddess and the God of Wisdom. The Graeco-Roman considered Diana to be a form of the Egyptian Isis, while Mercury (the same as the Greek Hermes) was recognized as the equivalent of the Egyptian Thoth. Significantly, the first is the deity of Philae and the latter was the creator of the Hall of Records. By offering their names together, Nostradamus not only hinted at the link between their two respective Mystery Schools, but also connected them as to revealing clues for the opening of the lost Hall.
As an important variant, the Greeks equated their goddess Diana with not only Isis but sometimes with another Egyptian deity related to her, the goddess Hathor, who represented the more Active Feminine Principle in the Initiation process. Most important, Hathor also has a small shrine dedicated to her at Philae, located next to the Kiosk of Trajan, just outside the main Sanctuary.
This is a good indicator that another aspect of the hidden treasures of Philae are to be discovered in Hathor's Shrine as well.
LINE TWO:
Les simulacres au lac seront trouvés—"The images at (or in, from) the lake will be found." Most accurately, Nostradamus foresaw the Isis Temple's present situation—it no longer exists in the Nile river but now resides in the middle of a lake that was formed by the building of the two Aswan Dams.
And it so happens that both the Kiosk and the Hathor Shrine are the two portions of the Philae complex that have doorways directly overlooking the lake and the sunken remains of old Philae Island.
During the period of 1902 and 1968 these, like the rest of the Isis Sanctuary, were seasonally submerged in the lake waters before full restoration work was completed on Agilkia.
So the prophet's vision that the treasures had been either "on" or "in" the lake has proven true.
LINE THREE:
Le figurier cherchant argile neuve—"The sculptor looking for clay new," or "new clay." By this the prophet may have simply meant that the silver figures of line one and two will have been cast in silver. The process first involves the artist making a clay model then a mould from the model into which the liquid silver is poured, cooled and hardened, duplicating the original clay model, only now in metal.
However, Nostradamus may have had a much more esoteric purpose in his words given here, linking the hidden treasures of Philae not only with those of Giza (line one) but also with what is hidden at another important Mystery site in Egypt—the Temple complex at Saqqara, the Place of Healing.
The "sculptor" in question could either be the god Khnum who on Elephantine Island, close by to Philae, shaped humanity on his potters' wheel, or it could also be the god Ptah who at Memphis and Saqqara to the north shaped the world on the potters' wheel.
The fact that either one or both of these deities is "looking for new clay" suggests that they are about to refashion both Humankind and the Planet into new forms, into a Sacred New Humanity and a Sacred New Earth.
Nostradamus, who more than likely visited both Saqqara and Elephantine in his travels in Egypt, used this imagery that would have been familiar to any Initiate, to predict the coming of a quantum leap in human spiritual evolution and the advent of earth changes.
The prophet was alluding to the timing of the discoveries to be made at Philae, Saqqara and Giza as to take place during a coming period of tremendous human and planetary transformations.
He was speaking about our times today.
LINE FOUR:
Lui et les siens d'or seront abreuvés—"Him and his (worshippers, followers, priesthood) of (or in) gold will be saturated (steeped, filled, rewarded, satisfied)."
As students of the Mystery Schools have learned, the chief architect of Saqqara was Imhotep, and as we noted earlier according to many esoteric sources he left behind a large library of golden books on medicine and healing, still buried and preserved within the Saqqara complex. Nostradamus prophesied that this cache of golden books will one day soon be unearthed, and by those of Ptah's ancient priesthood who will be reincarnated into modern-day life.
There is another level of interpretation to Nostradamus' cryptic words that relates more specifically to Philae. While the center of activity for Imhotep was at Saqqara, once again the French seer was aware that in a specific location at Philae there is also a shrine dedicated to the great Architect-Healer. Just off the main courtyard behind the East Colonnade, through the last doorway on the right as one faces the entranceway into the first pylon, is the Shrine of Imhotep.
Walking through the doorway then turning left, there, portrayed on the wall, is the image of the builder of Saqqara himself. Is it in one of the floor blocks here, or perhaps inside the wall blocks whereupon the figure of Imhotep is depicted, that a message awaits us, etched in gold?
THE PROPHECY:
About the same time that silver-cast images of Isis and Thoth will be discovered near the lake's edge at Philae, a golden library will be brought to light at Saqqara. A key to that library—and a key to the greater Library buried beneath the sands of Giza—may be still hidden at Philae in the Shrine of Imhotep.
[Copyright 2009. Joseph Robert Jochmans. All Rights Reserved.]
