increasing excitement, we began to research the deeper meanings of The Lost Book, and very quickly found that we had a complete set of the Major Arcana, and many of the Minors. After several months of intense work, we had in place a full deck of seventy-eight cards, all of which drew upon the paintings from The Lost Book. In short, we had succeeded in completing the work begun by Nostradamus himself, to create The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus.
Throughout the work, we chose to accept, in the broadest terms, that Nostradamus was a genuine seer and that his collections of prophecies have a measure of validity. This doesn’t mean that we accept the wilder interpretations, especially those which have been used recently to suggest the imminent end of the world! However, because of the nature of The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus, such questions are less important than is normally the case, because we’re not treating Nostradamus’ work as prophetic, but as predictive—a very different thing. Questions concerning the validity or otherwise of the Centuries may be left aside for the moment—though we will later suggest a way in which the quatrains can be utilized to support or augment the readings created by the tarot. Nostradamus’ writings have always been used to suggest events ranging from the historic to the cosmic—they have never been used to interpret personal dilemmas. That has been left to the tarot. Now, for the first time, these two powerful predictive systems are brought together, as they were always intended to be, as The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus.
Reinterpreting the Images
When we first looked at some of the images from the VE 307 Vaticinia Michaelis Nostradami manuscript, the first thing that went through our minds was how much tarot imagery was present. Pictures such as “the Wheel of Fortune” and “the Burning Tower” are instantly recognizable, others less so; while some are more alchemical and obscure. Indeed, the manuscript could more accurately be described as a notebook of sketches for a tarot, plus some other things. However, enough of the imagery from the tarot we are familiar with today was present in this amazing sketchbook to excite us and give us the resolve to somehow complete this lost work by one of history’s greatest prophets.
Religious imagery
There are a wealth of popes in many of the drawings. They people the Major Arcana especially, where we are used to seeing other figures. Many are of a heretical nature more redolent of the anti-Catholic demonization campaigns of the Reformation. Undoubtedly there are many influences coming together in the drawings: imagery from the so-called “Prophecies of the Popes,” alchemical references, zodiacal and celestial images that are juxtaposed with the imagery of the tarot. The most prevalent imagery is, of course, rooted in the world of the Roman Catholic Church of the late Renaissance, but the most interesting aspect is the juxtaposition of an esoteric understanding with an orthodox one, as well as the undeniable presence of an anti-cleric streak.
The symbolism within the imagery of The Lost Book is remarkably consistent. It is also very ecclesiastical. Inevitably so, when one considers when, and for whom, it was produced. There are, thus, many papal figures, which may be seen not only as representing the Supreme Pontiff himself but also the power of the Holy See in Rome. Whatever its shortcomings, the Vatican was perceived as a gateway to the Kingdom of Heaven—hence the proliferation of keys, which represent the Keys of Peter, the actual keys to the realm of Heaven, as well as papal crowns (often set above the kingly), which are intended as a reminder of the power of the Church.
No one is in full agreement about the symbolism of the mighty Triple Crown, which shows up a great deal in The Lost Book. Popes have worn this tiara since the Middle Ages, if not sooner, and for some it represents the threefold authority of the Church throughout the cosmos. The crowning of the pontiff is still accompanied by the words:
Receive the tiara adorned with three crowns and know that thou art Father of Princes and Kings, Ruler of the World, Vicar of Our Savior Jesus Christ in earth, to whom is honor and glory in the ages of ages.
In addition to these powerful symbols, a veritable bestiary of creatures, both natural and supernatural, throng the book. Doves, eagles, snakes, lions, sheep, and bears rub shoulders with unicorns, dragons, and serpents.
All these are open to ecclesiastic interpretation. Serpents mean evil; eagles are imperial; doves mean peace; lions are strength; sheep could refer to the Lamb of God, the congregation or the weak and needy. They form something akin to a language of creatures, an index of references which any educated person would have recognized immediately and been able to supply the meaning. What is interesting, however, is the way Nostradamus juxtaposes some of these familiar images so that we see a pope attacked by a unicorn, or offering food to bears, or a mythical gryphon holding a priest’s staff. Just as in his writings, he seems to be poking fun at the establishment of the time—and possibly risking an unpleasant experience at the hands of the Inquisition.
Other forms of symbolism
The presence of both astronomical and astrological imagery throughout The Lost Book is not at all surprising. Though officially frowned upon by the Church, such disciplines were still considered to play a part in understanding the universe – providing, of course, that those who followed such abstruse ways remembered that any suggested variation in the shaping of the universe was strictly forbidden and probably heretical. Thus, we find references to a possible heliocentric universe, which was still considered heresy during Nostradamus’ lifetime. There are also several images of astrologers consulting books of ancient knowledge, and a significant number of astrological signs, ranging through most of the houses. Of course, many of these feature in the symbolism of tarot, making it comparatively easy to read the hidden clues left by Nostradamus as we set about recreating The Lost Tarot. That the seer himself was no stranger to astrology is clear from the following note he made in a letter to César:
Through the omnipotence of the eternal God we are governed by the Moon, and before she completes her cycle she will reach the Sun and Saturn. According to these celestial signs the reign of Saturn will then return, for which reason, according to my calculations, the world is drawing close to an inevitable revolution.
Once again, Nostradamus is telling us that he can see into the future in more ways than one, and that his vision includes the vast tides of time governed by the houses of the zodiac.
Exactly how much of the imagery is tarot and what is not could be a matter for debate, but it is important to remember that the familiar symbolism in modern tarot was much less fixed in Nostradamus’ time than it is today.
Overall, however, it is clear that the deviser of the images for The Lost Book knew a great deal of the spiritual symbolism current at the time, and was not afraid to play with it in all manner of daring ways. It is for this reason, we think, that the book vanished for so long into the Vatican archives, only perhaps coming to light in our own time now that a more open-minded attitude exists. The enigmatic note on page 83 of the manuscript suggests that its author was leaving a very great clue to the identity of its source of inspiration—one that might have come to light even if his name had not been inscribed on the book:
To the Honest Reader: Those preceding him [Nostradamus] are missing here by reason of the injuries of devouring time, according to divine will … uttered not by possession but in sleep, and not by divine inspiration … but by other ways, for our forebears have sent us a soothsayer of good and scarce possession.
Using the images
Surveying the material wasn’t easy, as picture references for the pages of the manuscript are surprisingly hard to find, and at this stage we hadn’t approached the library where the manuscript is held. However, we were able to assign images to all the Major Arcana cards without difficulty. This convinced us that we would indeed be able to recreate The Lost Tarot of Nostradamus.
Of course, it’s apparent that, from the point of view of a functioning tarot, the manuscript is an unfinished work. While
