Was the unspeakable horror of September 11 foretold by prophets and psychics? While the best-known names of prophecy seem to have failed, some eerily accurate visions and predictions have come from unexpected sources
After the initial shock of the deeply tragic and violent attacks of September 11 on New York and Washington turned to grief, confusion and anger, many who believe in ESP, psychic predictions and prophecy were asking: Where were the psychics? Why didn't they predict this monumental act of terror and loss of human life?
Perhaps the attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) and the Pentagon were foreseen, but apparently not by Nostradamus:
NOSTRADAMUS
Very soon after the terrorist attacks, Internet e-mail and certain websites were flooded with "prophecies" that were said to come from the writings of the famed 16th century French astrologer, Nostradamus. Whenever some great tragedy strikes, it seems, Nostadamus's quatrains (four-line verses) are scrutinized to see if some significance can be found. Some interpreters of his writings believe he has successfully predicted the rise of Hitler, the assassination of President Kennedy and other significant events of the 20th century. Sure enough, a quatrain widely spread by e-mail was purported to be a clear reference to the destruction of the WTC:
In the City of God there will be a great thunder,
Two brothers torn apart by Chaos,
while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb,
The third big war will begin when the big city is burning.
The only problem with this prophecy is that Nostradamus never made it. It was entirely fabricated by some Internet prankster whose identity will probably never be known.
David Emery, About.com's Guide to Urban Legends and Folklore, has written an excellent article on this Net hoax, similar false Nostradamus writings and other rumors related to the Sept. 11 event - Did Nostradamus Predict the 9/11 Attacks? As David points out, the circulated quatrains were either completely made up or were highly imaginative and liberally revised translations of actual verses.
One actual verse - the so-called "King of Terror" quatrain - has been applied to the WTC disaster, but as you can see, it bears little relevance to the events of that day:
The year 1999, seventh month,
From the sky will come a great King of Terror.
To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols,
Before and after Mars to reign by good luck.
From the sky came terror, for certain, but the year is wrong and the month is wrong. And what the last two lines might mean with regard to WTC is anyone's guess. The bottom line is that Nostradamus apparently has struck out on this one.
THE "CURSED" TOWERS
Psychic Joyce Keller believes that a colleague predicted the fate of the WTC. "During the time that the WTC was being built, around 1973," says Joyce, "I was in a NYC meditation class conducted by a pretty well-known psychic, Irwyn Greif. He was also employed by New York City as a building inspector. During one of his classes, he said, 'Do not go into the WTC after it is constructed. It will come down in our lifetime. It is cursed!' Mr. Greif currently lives in Florida. I e-mailed him after 9/11 to congratulate him on his accurate but extremely tragic prediction. I was in the WTC quite a few times, and knew that his prediction would be correct, but did not know the time. I was in the WTC a few days before 9/11 and became extremely nauseous and upset, and felt the attack would be imminent. I also realized that there was no way it could be prevented."
ASTROLOGER PREDICTS "SHOCKING NEWS"
In July, 2000, astrologer Louis Turi posted some predictions on his website about disastrous events that would take place in September, 2001. Turi, who claims to make "predictions in the art of Nostradamus," made this forecast, in part:
Bad news ahead for any and all denominations where religious figures will "pass over." In 1998 the same type of celestial energy produced a murder in the Vatican followed by a suicide, which forced the Pope to address to the world in sadness. The Middle East "US surprising bombing attack" on Saddam Hussein forces in Iraq also took place under these circumstances. This energy can affect sophisticated electronic equipment and produce a bad aeronautic accident. Deception, illusion and secret affairs are on the agenda. The same Neptunian energy produced the Valdez disaster and the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Expect a general feeling of hopelessness plaguing the media and the church authorities. Deceiving news will take place and affect many of us; some desperate souls will fall for Neptune's suicidal tendency and some will end up in jail or a mental institution. This trend will be very difficult for some, but do not lose faith in yourself and trust the Universe; get all the help you can to fight Neptune's depressive tendencies; amuse yourself, keep busy and let go of the past. Life must go on. Expect anything surprising, even incredible to take place soon and see the real power of both Uranus, the planet of sudden release of energy in action and Saturn forcing the government to take drastic actions.
It's easy to pick out many of the key words and phrases that can relate to the WTC attack. Was the tragedy foretold in the stars and planets, or is this just another remarkable coincidence?
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