• Prediction and prophesy has become the stock-in-trade for some pastors

If you read Nostradamus you were likely to be confused by his pre­diction of world events. Though Nostradamus died in the 16th Century he predicted the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in 2001 in New York. He is credited with accurate prediction of scores of other events.

But because some people in his day thought he was a wizard, which he was not, he decided to couch his prediction in such ‘twisted’ prose that it could take very few people to decipher what he meant. Therefore, he wrote Quat­rains, which are four-line paragraphs.

Mostly, the world is able to tell his prediction after the event. Nostrada­mus was a physician, scientist, psychic and astrologer. Astrology is the sci­ence of using astronomy to know and understand the heavenly bodies and how they relate to one another and the art of interpreting the effect of those relationships.

But because these heavenly bodies do not compel us, astrology is normally seen and described as steeped in the Law of Probabilities, no matter how accurate readings might be. If every­one understood the subject of astrol­ogy, the world would be at peace with itself.

Nostradamus’s Quatrains do not teach the subject but there are many books that do. Hiram Butler’s ‘So­lar Biology’ gives an insight and Max Heindel’s ‘Message of the Stars’ and ‘Simplified Scientific Astrology’ are very good materials. I cannot list all good materials in this write-up. There are a thousand and one if them.

I am yet to find out from his book if he predicted COVID 19, though I have read other people’s prediction of the pandemic decades before it struck the world in 2019. Indeed, there are many predictions documented in a lot of publications out there.

I must state that astrology is not the only way to predict the future or any events. People are imbued with many esoteric capabilities. It could be spiritual or psychic. Some have the power to voluntarily or involuntarily vacate their dense bodies and have astral experiences where many events are revealed to them. What they do with the knowledge is entirely up to them. However, these are meant to be to the benefit of humanity.

Sadly, the penchant for predict­ing the future through prophecy, has become the stock-in-trade of pastors, some with dubious predilection for personal aggrandizement. They have become social media freaks selling their stuff to the highest bidder.

Others rely on dreams to predict events. Clinical psychologists and some psychiatrists have their scientific takes on dreams, but others rely on biblical ascription to the phenomenon and are quick to interpret dreams of dreamers.

Personally, I believe dreams can present many signs but my prescription is for the dreamer to have a diary to write down their dreams after they wake up. As the days roll by, they should read what they wrote against each daily event. That way they can easily determine what their dreams seek to tell them.

I overheard the Inspector General of the Ghana Police Service lamenting the activities of these doomsday prophe­cies. According to Dr. Akuffo Dampare, none of these characters prophesied that he would become the IGP, but are quick to prophesy his death after his appointment. It looks like these people wait till you come into the public eye, then you become a target for their chicanery.

The actions of these frauds have made it difficult for genuine and life­saving predictions to be accepted or believed. A friend who was contesting the position of flagbearer of his party prior to the 2008 elections consulted with me. He wanted to succeed the then president who was from his own party.

I told him what to do if he wanted to win over their delegates, else he would be lucky to get a certain number of votes. As politicians are noted, he thought he had convinced the dele­gates enough to carry the day. When the votes were tallied he got the exact number I said he would get.

If you read my Astrological predic­tion and analysis for Election 2020 on this page in the December 4 edition of this paper, you will not be surprised about what is happening in this country at this time.

I also predicted turmoil in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) because of the negative influence of Pluto that’s transiting the party’s for­tunes till 2026. I don’t know if anyone in that party took note. What erupted in the NDC just a few days ago is a foretaste to cleansing it needed for a more cohesive and solid party all their members will be proud to associate with.

The NDC should brace itself for more eruptions in their ranks, but a steadfast steering of the ship is what will benefit them in the long run. If op­eratives of the group flail on emotions, the party is likely to self-destruct.

Now, I have people tell me they see a horoscope column in one newspaper or the other giving weekly predictions. I see nothing wrong with such weekly generalisations. The fact is there are distinct characteristics of the various signs of the zodiac. There are common traits among those under Leo just as there are for Sagittarius, for example.

But to cast a horoscope for an indi­vidual involves certain personal data. Because the constellation is always on the move, it is vital to provide your exact date of birth, place of birth and, most importantly, the exact time of birth.

Many ignorant midwives and nurses in the delivery wards choose to round-off the time of birth. Astrology records the exact time a baby utters its first cry as the time of birth. A child is deliv­ered at exactly 13:12 hours, but the nurse decides the time of delivery to be either 13:15 or even 13:30.

Knowing the latitudinal and longitu­dinal positions at birth are important for accurate delianation for a correct prediction. In our parts we give the nearest big town as place of birth.

Many public office holders have a notorious habit of changing the records of their dates of birth. It sticks with them when they seek political elec­tions. An astrologer, having been given the “official” date, uses that to predict an outcome.

At the end of the contest this pol­itician is likely to condemn astrology, forgetting he gave the wrong data on their birth.

My twin daughters were born eight minutes apart. The eight minutes were significant in determining their paths in life. My forecasts have been proved right. Though they are strikingly iden­tical, the only other similarity is their handwritings. One graduated in the Sciences and the other in the Arts as I did forecast.

Our life as a nation is governed by the date and time we were born as a nation, March 6, 1957. However, whatever we do as a people crystalizes to what our future will be. Our today is yesterday’s prediction. Remember we reap what we sow.

When our thought forms and ac­tions, whether positive or negative today crystallize they create a reflect­ing effect on us tomorrow. We are the architects of our individual and collec­tive national lives. What is important is to play our individual roles to serve the collective well.

Writer’s email address:

akofa45@yahoo.com

By Dr. Akofa K. Segbefia