Nostradamus in Prague

Nostradamus

I have never been one to put much credence in Nostradamus. But there is one quatrain that jumped out at me when I read it, just days before the 50th anniversary of Meher Baba's accident in Prague, Oklahoma.

Meher Baba

On May 24, 1952, en route from the Meher Spiritual Center to Meher Mount in Ojai, California, the car Baba was being driven in was struck head-on just outside Prague. Baba and his mandali were thrown from the car into a ditch where they bled, waiting for help. Earlier that day, Baba had given instructions to the driver of the second car in the two car caravan to not lose sight of them no matter what. But having disobeyed by stopping for sodas they arrived minutes late, finding Baba and his mandali bleeding silently near the wrecked car. Through all the pain, even in the hospital, Baba never opened his mouth. Here is the quatrain by Nostradamus, written almost exactly 400 years earlier.

The rose upon the middle of the great world,
For new deeds public shedding of blood:
To speak the truth, one shall have a closed mouth,
Then at the time of need the awaited one shall come late. (Nostradamus, C5Q96, c. 1555)

Red line indicates exact center of U.S. falling on Prague, Oklahoma

East to west, Prague, Oklahoma is the exact middle of the Continental United States. In 1952, following WWII, the United States had emerged as a great world power. Baba wore a pink coat, the color of the rose. A rose hidden in a garden is a symbol of God in the poetry of Hafiz. A red rose is a symbol of love in American culture. The pillow that was placed under Baba's head at the accident site is on exhibit in Baba's house on the Meher Spiritual Center. You can still see the stains of his blood.

The rose upon the middle of the great world,
For new deeds public shedding of blood.

For details of the accident see Lord Meher, 1986 print edition, p. 3837.