Prophecies of Nostradamus: Century VIII

Century VIII

1
Pau, Nay, Loron will be more of fire than blood,
to swim in praise, the great one to flee to the confluence (of rivers).
He will refuse entry to the magpies
Pampon and the Durance will keep them confined.
2
Condom and Auch and around Mirande,
I see fire from the sky which encompasses them.
Sun and Mars conjoined in Leo, then at Marmande,
lightning, great hail, a wall falls into the Garonne.
3
Within the strong castle of Vigilance and Resviers
the younger born of Nancy will be shut up.
In Turin the first ones will be burned,
when Lyons will be transported with grief.
4
The cock will be received into Monace,
the Cardinal of France will appear;
He will be deceived by the Roman legation;
weakness to the eagle, strength will be born to the cock.
5
There will appear a shining ornate temple,
the lamp and the candle at Borne and Breteuil.
For the canton of Lucerne turned aside,
when one will see the great cock in his shroud.
6
Lighting and brightness are seen at Lyons shining,
Malta is taken, suddenly it will be extinguished.
Sardon, Maurice will act deceitfully,
Geneva to London, feigning treason towards the cock.
7
Vercelli, Milan will give the news,
the wound will be given at Pavia.
To run in the Seine, water, blood and fire through Florence,
the unique one falling from high to low calling for help.
8
Near Focia enclosed in some tuns
Chivasso will plot for the eagle.
The elected one driven out, he and his people shut up,
rape with Turin, the bride led away.
9
While the eagle is united with the cock at Savonna,
the Eastern Sea and Hungary.
The army at Naples, Palermo, the marches of Ancona,
Rome and Venice a great outcry by the Barbarian.
10
A great stench will come from Lausanne,
but they will not know its origin,
they will put out all people from distant places,
fire seen in the sky, a foreign nation defeated.
11
A multitude of people will appear at Vicenza
without force, fire to burn the Basilica.
Near Lunage the great one of Valenza defeated:
at a time when Venice takes up the quarrel through custom.
12
He will appear near to Buffalora
the highly born and tall one entered into Milan.
The Abbe of Foix with those of Saint-Meur
will cause damage dressed up as serfs.
13
The crusader brother through impassioned love
will cause Bellerophon to die through Proteus;
the fleet for a thousand years, the maddened woman,
the potion drunk, both of them then die.
14
The great credit of gold and abundance of silver
will cause honor to be blinded by lust;
the offense of the adulterer will become known,
which will occur to his great dishonor.
15
Great exertions towards the North by a man-woman
to vex Europe and almost all the Universe.
The two eclipses will be put into such a rout
that they will reinforce life or death for the Hungarians.
16
At the place where HIERON has his ship built,
there will be such a great sudden flood,
that one will not have a place nor land to fall upon,
the waters mount to the Olympic Fesulan.
17
Those at ease will suddenly be cast down,
the world put into trouble by three brothers;
their enemies will seize the marine city,
hunger, fire, blood, plague, all evils doubled.
18
The cause of her death will be issued from Florence,
one time before drunk by young and old;
by the three lilies they will give her a great pause.
Save through her offspring as raw meat is dampened.
19
To support the great troubled Cappe;
the reds will march in order to clarify it;
a family will be almost overcome by death,
the red, red ones will knock down the red one.
20
The false message about the rigged election
to run through the city stopping the broken pact;
voices bought, chapel stained with blood,
the empire contracted to another one.
21
Three foists will enter the port of Agde
carrying the infection and pestilence, not the faith.
Passing the bridge they will carry off a million,
the bridge is broken by the resistance of a third.
22
Coursan, Narbonne through the salt to warn
Tuchan, the grace of Perpignan betrayed;
the red town will not wish to consent to it,
in a high flight, a copy flag and a life ended.
23
Letters are found in the queen's chests,
no signature and no name of the author.
The ruse will conceal the offers;
so that they do not know who the lover is.
24
The lieutenant at the door of the house,
will knock down the great man of Perpignan.
Thinking to save himself at Montpertuis,
the bastard of Lusignan will be deceived.
25
The heart of the lover, awakened by furtive love
will ravish the lady in the stream.
She will pretend bashfully to be half injured,
the father of each will deprive the body of its soul.
26
The bones of Cato found in Barcelona,
placed, discovered, the site found again and ruined.
The great one who holds, but does not hold,
wants Pamplona, drizzle at the abbey of Montserrat.
27
The auxiliary way, one arch upon the other,
Le Muy deserted except for the brave one and his genet.
The writing of the Phoenix Emperor,
seen by him which is (shown) to no other.
28
The copies of gold and silver inflated,
which after the theft were thrown into the lake,
at the discovery that all is exhausted and dissipated by the debt.
All scrips and bonds will be wiped out.
29
At the fourth pillar which they dedicate to Saturn
split by earthquake and by flood;
under Saturn's building an urn is found
gold carried off by Caepio and then restored.
30
In Toulouse, not far from Beluzer
making a deep pit a palace of spectacle,
the treasure found will come to vex everyone
in two places and near the Basacle.
31
The first great fruit of the prince of Perchiera,
then will come a cruel and wicked man.
In Venice he will lose his proud glory,
and is led into evil by then younger Selin.
32
French king, beware of your nephew
who will do so much that your only son
will be murdered while making his vows to Venus;
accompanied at night by three and six.
33
The great one who will be born of Verona and Vincenza
who carries a very unworthy surname;
he who at Venice will wish to take vengeance,
himself taken by a man of the watch and sign.
34
After the victory of the Lion over the Lion,
there will be great slaughter on the mountain of Jura;
floods and dark-colored people of the seventh ( of a million ),
Lyons, Ulm at the mausoleum death and the tomb.
35
At the entrance to Garonne and Baise
and the forest not far from Damazan,
discoveries of the frozen sea, then hail and north winds.
Frost in the Dardonnais through the mistake of the month.
36
It will be committed against the anointed brought
from Lons le Saulnier, Saint Aubin and Bell'oeuvre.
To pave with marble taken from distant towers,
not to resist Bletteram and his masterpiece.
37
The fortress near the Thames
will fall when the king is locked up inside.
He will be seen in his shirt near the bridge,
one facing death then barred inside the fortress.
38
The King of Blois will reign in Avignon,
once again the people covered in blood.
In the Rhône he will make swim
near the walls up to five, the last one near Nolle.
39
He who will have been for the Byzantine prince
will be taken away by the prince of Toulouse.
The faith of Foix through the leader of Tolentino
will fail him, not refusing the bride.
40
The blood of the Just for Taur and La Duarade
in order to avenge itself against the Saturnines.
They will immerse the band in the new lake,
then they will march against Alba.
41
a fox will be elected without speaking one word,
appearing saintly in public living on barley bread,
afterwards he will suddenly become a tyrant
putting his foot on the throats of the greatest men.
42
Through avarice, through force and violence
the chief of Orléans will come to vex his supporters.
Near St. Memire, assault and resistance.
Dead in his tent they will say he is asleep inside.
43
Through the fall of two bastard creatures
the nephew of the blood will occupy the throne.
Within Lectoure there will be blows of lances,
the nephew through fear will fold up his standard.
44
The natural offspring off Ogmios
will turn off the road from seven to nine.
To the king long friend of the half man,
Navarre must destroy the fort at Pau.
45
With his hand in a sling and his leg bandaged,
the younger brother of Calais will reach far.
At the word of the watch, the death will be delayed,
then he will bleed at Easter in the Temple.
46
Paul the celibate will die three leagues from Rome,
the two nearest flee the oppressed monster.
When Mars will take up his horrible throne,
the Cock and the Eagle, France and the three brothers.
47
Lake Trasimene will bear witness
of the conspirators locked up inside Perugia.
A fool will imitate the wise one,
killing the Teutons, destroying and cutting to pieces.
48.
Saturn in Cancer, Jupiter with Mars
in February Chaldondon'salva tierra.
Sierra Morena besieged on three sides
near Verbiesque, war and mortal conflict.
49
Saturn in Taurus, Jupiter in Aquarius. Mars in Sagittarius,
the sixth of February brings death.
Those of Tardaigne so great a breach at Bruges,
that the barbarian chief will die at Ponteroso.
50
The plague around Capellades,
another famine is near to Sagunto;
the knightly bastard of the good old man
will cause the great one of Tunis to lose his head.
51
The Byzantine makes an oblation
after having taken back Cordoba.
A long rest on his road, the vines cut down,
at sea the passing prey captured by the Pillar.
52 ---- Unfinished/Censored ----
The king of Blois to reign in Avignon,
from Amboise and Seme the length of the Indre:
claws at Poitiers holy wings ruined
before Boni. . . .
53
Within Boulogne he will want to wash away his misdeeds,
he cannot at the temple of the Sun.
He will fly away, doing very great things:
In the hierarchy he had never an equal.
54
Under the color of the marriage treaty,
a magnanimous act by the Chyren Selin:
St. Quintin and Arras recovered on the journey;
By the Spanish a second butcher's bench is made.
55
He will find himself shut in between two rivers,
casks and barrels joined to cross beyond:
eight bridges broken, their chief run through so many times,
perfect children's throats slit by the knife.
56
The weak band will occupy the land,
those of high places will make dreadful cries.
The large herd of the outer corner troubled,
near Edinburgh it falls discovered by the writings.
57
From simple soldier he will attain to Empire,
from the short robe he will grow into the long.
Brave in arms, much worse towards the Church,
he vexes the priests as water fills a sponge.
58
A kingdom divided by two quarreling brothers
to take the arms and the name of Britain.
The Anglican title will be advised to watch out,
surprised by night ( the other is ), led to the French air.
59
Twice put up and twice cast down,
the East will also weaken the West.
Its adversary after several battles
chased by sea will fail at time of need.
60
First in Gaul, first in Romania,
over land and sea against the English and Paris.
Marvelous deeds by that great troop,
violent, the wild beast will lose Lorraine.
61
Never by the revelation of daylight
will he attain the mark of the scepter bearer.
Until all his sieges are at rest,
bringing to the Cock the gift of the armed legion.
62
When one sees the holy temple plundered,
the greatest of the Rhône profaning their sacred things;
because of them a very great pestilence will appear,
the king, unjust, will not condemn them.
63
When the adulterer wounded without a blow
will have murdered his wife and son out of spite;
his wife knocked down, he will strangle the child;
eight captives taken, choked beyond help.
64
The infants transported into the islands,
two out of seven will be in despair.
Those of the soil will be supported by it,
the name 'shovel' taken, the hope of the leagues fails.
65
The old man disappointed in his main hope,
will attain to the leadership of his Empire.
Twenty months he will hold rule with great force,
a tyrant, cruel, giving way to one worse.
66
When the inscription D.M. is found
in the ancient cave, revealed by a lamp.
Law, the King and Prince Ulpian tried,
the Queen and Duke in the pavilion under cover.
67
Paris, Carcassone, France to ruin in great disharmony,
neither one nor the other will be elected.
France will have the love and good will of the people,
Ferara, Colonna great protection.
68
The old Cardinal is deceived by the young one,
he will find himself disarmed, out of his position:
Do not show, Arles, that the double is perceived,
both Liqueduct and the Prince embalmed.
69
Beside the young one the old angel falls,
and will come to rise above him at the end;
ten years equal to most the old one falls again,
of three two and one, the eighth seraphim.
70
He will enter, wicked, unpleasant, infamous,
tyrannizing over Mesopotamia.
All friends made by the adulterous lady,
the land dreadful and black of aspect.
71
The number of astrologers will grow so great,
that they will be driven out, banned and their books censored.
In the year 1607 by sacred assemblies
so that none will be safe from the holy ones.
72
Oh what a huge defeat on the Perugian battlefield
and the conflict very close to Ravenna.
A holy passage when they will celebrate the feast,
the conqueror banished to eat horse meat.
73
The king is struck by a barbarian soldier,
unjustly, not far from death.
The greedy will be the cause of the deed,
conspirator and realm in great remorse.
74
A king entered very far into the new land
while the subjects will come to bid him welcome;
his treachery will have such a result
that to the citizens it is a reception instead of a festival.
75
The father and son will be murdered together,
the leader within his pavilion.
The mother at Tours will have her belly swollen with a son,
a verdure chest with little pieces of paper.
76
More of a butcher than a king in England,
born of obscure rank will gain empire through force.
Coward without faith, without law he will bleed the land;
His time approaches so close that I sigh.
77
The antichrist very soon annihilates the three,
twenty-seven years his war will last.
The unbelievers are dead, captive, exiled;
with blood, human bodies, water and red hail covering the earth.
78
A soldier of fortune with twisted tongue
will come to the sanctuary of the gods.
He will open the door to heretics
and raise up the Church militant.
79
He who loses his father by the sword, born in a Nunnery,
upon this Gorgon's blood will conceive anew;
in a strange land he will do everything to be silent,
he who will burn both himself and his child.
80
The blood of innocents, widow and virgin,
so many evils committed by means of the Great Red One,
holy images placed over burning candles,
terrified by fear, none will be seen to move.
81
The new empire in desolation
will be changed from the Northern Pole.
From Sicily will come such trouble that
it will bother the enterprise tributary to Philip.
82
Thin tall and dry, playing the good valet
in the end will have nothing but his dismissal;
sharp poison and letters in his collar,
he will be seized escaping into danger.
83
The largest sail set out of the port of Zara,
near Byzantium will carry out its enterprise.
Loss of enemy and friend will not be,
a third will turn on both with great pillage and capture.
84
Paterno will hear the cry from Sicily,
all the preparations in the Gulf of Trieste;
it will be heard as far as Sicily
flee oh, flee, so may sails, the dreaded pestilence !
85
Between Bayonne and St. Jean de Luz
will be placed the promontory of Mars.
To the Hanix of the North, Nanar will remove the light,
then suffocate in bed without assistance.
86
Through Emani, Tolosa and Villefranche,
an infinite band through the mountains of Adrian.
Passes the river, Cambat over the plank for a bridge,
Bayonne will be entered all crying Bigoree.
87
A death conspired will come to its full effect,
the charge given and the voyage of death.
Elected, created, received ( then ) defeated by its followers,
in remorse the blood of innocence in front of him.
88
A noble king will come to Sardinia,
who will only rule for three years in the kingdom.
He will join with himself several colors;
he himself, after taunts, care spoils slumber.
89
In order not to fall into the hands of his uncle
who slaughtered his children in order to reign.
Pleasing with the people, putting his foot on Peloncle,
dead and dragged between armored horses.
90
When those of the cross are found their senses troubled,
in place of sacred things he will see a horned bull,
through the virgin the pig's place will then be filled,
order will no longer be maintained by the king.
91
Entered among the field of the Rhône
where those of the cross are almost united,
the two lands meeting in Pisces
and a great number punished by the flood.
92
Far distant from his kingdom, sent on a dangerous journey,
he will lead a great army and keep it for himself.
The king will hold his people captive and hostage,
he will plunder the whole country on his return.
93
For seven months, no longer, will he hold the office of prelate,
through his death a great schism will arise;
for seven months another acts as prelate near Venice,
peace and union are reborn.
94
In front of the lake where the dearest one was destroyed
for seven months and his army routed;
Spaniards will be devastating by means of Alba,
through delay in giving battle, loss.
95
The seducer will be placed in a ditch
and will be tied up for some time.
The scholar joins the chief with his cross.
The sharp right will draw the contented ones.
96
The sterile synagogue without any fruit,
will be received by the infidels,
the daughter of the persecuted (man) of Babylon,
miserable and sad, they will clip her wings.
97
At the end of the Var the great powers change;
near the bank three beautiful children are born.
Ruin to the people when they are of age;
in the country the kingdom is seen to grow and change more.
98
Of the church men the blood will be poured forth
as abundant as water in (amount);
for a long time it will not be restrained,
woe, woe, for the clergy ruin and grief.
99
Through the power of three temporal kings,
the sacred seat will be put in another place,
where the substance of the body and the spirit
will be restored and received as the true seat.
100
By the great number of tears shed,
from top to bottom and from the bottom to the very top,
a life is lost through a game with too much faith,
to die of thirst through a great deficiency.

"Life isn't fair, but it's still good."

Writer Regina Brett's life lessons are great little nuggets of wisdom.  There's something for everyone!

I'll be reflecting on this week's lesson:  "Life isn't fair, but it's still good."  There are many inequalities in everyone's lives -- you're always bound to find someone richer, happier, more fulfilled, healthier... I could go on and on.  But there's always something wonderful, special, and beautiful in your own life for which you can be grateful.  Don't dwell on what you lack in life all the time.  Appreciate what you have, too.  Plenty of folks around the world have much less.  Life isn't always perfect, but there's so much to appreciate!


Visit Regina's website here.

Catholic Prayer: Morning Offering

Dear Lord, I do not know what will happen to me today.

I only know that nothing will happen that was not foreseen by You, and directed to my greater good from all eternity.

I adore Your holy and unfathomable plans, and submit to them with all my heart for love of You, the Pope, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Amen.

Magickal Properties of Turquoise

If you're a unique sort of person who marches to the beat of their own drum, the turquoise might just be your best bet for a personal power gemstone!

The word itself is derived from the Greek word "Turkois," their name for the country Turkey, which was the main source of turquoise in ancient times.  This gemstone is formed by minerals such as copper or aluminum being pressed by the Earth's surface while water drips through the minerals for millions of years.

Turquoise is a mineral with a coloring that's so distinct that the robin's-egg color is actually named after it!  This rich blue-green stone can actually range in color from dark blues and greens, all the way to the lighter sky blue that is turquoise's namesake.  The gemstone is associated with the month of December, and can be found in many parts of the world, including China, India, many parts of South America, and the southwestern United States.

Native Americans consider the turquoise crystal to be a sacred and powerful stone.  In the past, turquoise was often carved into shapes of animals and birds, and placed into tombs as offerings, to attract positive spirits and to keep their dead safeguarded from evil.  Additionally, warriors would tip their bows and arrows with turquoise to ensure an accurate shot during battle or hunting.  The ancient Mayans would also use it to decorate artwork for their temples, forbidding people to wear it as it was revered as a stone of the gods.  In the Middle East, turquoise was used to create religious relics as lines from the Koran would be carved upon it and guilded.

When you are looking for a stone of protection, turquoise is an excellent choice.  It can help to enhance positivity and repel negative forces.  Turquoise is also soothing to the heart and mind, instilling calmness and clarity to a restless or grief-stricken soul.  Legends also say that a turquoise stone can foretell illness; if the bright color fades, it is said that the health is leaving the body of the gemstone's bearer.  When the stone returns to its normal shade, the person's health should return to normal. 

The Three Gunas

Gunas are a concept in Samkhya Hindu philosophy.  The word "guna" is Sanskrit for "string;" it can also mean "single thread of a cord."  They each represent a type of principle or motivation in the human personality. While there are several types of philosophy that refer to gunas, the Samkhya philosophy recognizes three of them: Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva.  Together, these make up the Triguna.

The guna that is known as Tamas (literally translated as "darkness") tends to be a self-centered and slow-moving motivation.  It can be described as apathetic, lazy, and senseless.  Emotions and actions such as hostility, bad reasoning, and self-delusion can often be rooted in Tamas.

Rajas, which means "passion," seems to go toward extremes.  While it is indeed a passionate and active guna, it also has the tendency to go overboard.  Rajas is active, creative, emotional, sensitive, but can also anxiety ridden, overly boastful, and aggressive.

Sattva is translated as "goodness," and this is the guna which one should strive to allow to shine.  It corresponds to our better nature: industriousness, compassion, and focus on helping and caring for others as opposed to material attachments.

It is said that everything in the world corresponds to at least one of these three gunas.  According to Samkhya belief, they are separate entities, yet they are all still somehow attached to one another.  Passion cannot exist without Darkness, which cannot exist without Goodness, which cannot exist without Passion, and so on.  They are a part of each other, while being apart from each other at the same time.

Prophecies of Nostradamus: Century VII

Century VII

1
The arc of the treasure deceived by Achilles,
the quadrangle known to the procreators.
The invention will be known by the Royal deed;
a corpse seen hanging in the sight of the populace.
2
Opened by Mars Arles will not give war,
the soldiers will be astonished by night.
Black and white concealing indigo on land
under the false shadow you will see traitors sounded.
3
After the naval victory of France,
the people of Barcelona the Saillinons and those of Marseilles;
the robber of gold, the anvil enclosed in the ball,
the people of Ptolon will be party to the fraud.
4
The Duke of Langres besieged at Dôle
accompanied by people from Autun and Lyons.
Geneva, Augsburg allied to those of Mirandola,
to cross the mountains against the people of Ancona.
5
Some of the wine on the table will be spilt,
the third will not have that which he claimed.
Twice descended from the black one of Parma,
Perouse will do to Pisa that which he believed.
6
Naples, Palerma and all of Sicily
will be uninhabited through Barbarian hands.
Corsica, Salerno and the island of Sardinia,
hunger, plague, war the end of extended evils.
7
Upon the struggle of the great light horses,
it will be claimed that the great crescent is destroyed.
To kill by night, in the mountains,
dressed in shepherd’s' clothing, red gulfs in the deep ditch.
8
Florense, flee, flee the nearest Roman,
at Fiesole will be conflict given:
blood shed, the greatest one take by the hand,
neither temple nor sex will be pardoned.
9
The lady in the absence of her great master
will be begged for love by the Viceroy.
Feigned promise and misfortune in love,
in the hands of the great Prince of Bar.
10
By the great Prince bordering Le Mans,
brave and valiant leader of the great army;
by land and sea with Bretons and Normans,
to pass Gibraltar and Barcelona to pillage the island.
11
eye, feet wounded rude disobedient;
strange and very bitter news to the lady;
more than five hundred of here people will be killed.
12
The great younger son will make an end of the war,
he assembles the pardoned before the gods;
Cahors and Moissac will go far from the prison,
a refusal at Lectoure, the people of Agen shaved.
13
From the marine tributary city,
the shaven head will take up the satrapy;
to chase the sordid man who will the be against him.
For fourteen years he will hold the tyranny.
14
He will come to expose the false topography,
the urns of the tombs will be opened.
Sect and holy philosophy to thrive,
black for white and the new for the old.
15
Before the city of the Insubrian lands,
for seven years the siege will be laid;
a very great king enters it,
the city is then free, away from its enemies.
16
The deep entry made by the great Queen
will make the place powerful and inaccessible;
the army of the three lions will be defeated
causing within a thing hideous and terrible.
17
The prince who has little pity of mercy
will come through death to change (and become) very knowledgeable.
The kingdom will be attended with great tranquillity,
when the great one will soon be fleeced.
18
The besieged will color their pacts,
but seven days later they will make a cruel exit:
thrown back inside, fire and blood, seven put to the ax
the lady who had woven the peace is a captive.
19
The fort at Nice will not engage in combat,
it will be overcome by shining metal.
This deed will be debated for a long time,
strange and fearful for the citizens.
20
Ambassadors of the Tuscan language
will cross the Alps and the sea in April and May.
The man of the calf will deliver an oration,
not coming to wipe out the French way of life.
21
By the pestilential enmity of Languedoc,
the tyrant dissimulated will be driven out.
The bargain will be made on the bridge at Sorgues
to put to death both him and his follower
22
The citizens of Mesopotamia
angry with their friends from Tarraconne;
games, rites, banquets, every person asleep,
the vicar at Rhône, the city taken and those of Ausonia.
23
The Royal scepter will be forced to take
that which his predecessors had pledged.
Because they do not understand about the ring
when they come to sack the palace.
24
He who was buried will come out of the tomb,
He will cause the fort of the bridge to be tied in chains:
Poisoned with the spawn of a pimp,
the great one from Lorraine by the Marquis du Pont.
25
Through long war all the army exhausted,
so that they do not find money for the soldiers;
instead of gold or silver, they will come to coin leather,
Gallic brass, and the crescent sign of the Moon.
26
Foists and galleys around seven ships,
a mortal war will be let loose.
The leader from Madrid will receive a wound from arrows,
two escaped and five brought to land.
27
At the wall of Vasto the great cavalry
are impeded by the baggage near Ferrara.
At Turin they will speedily commit such robbery
that in the fort they will ravish their hostage.
28
The captain will lead a great herd
on the mountain closest to the enemy.
Surrounded by fire he makes such a way,
all escape except for thirty put on the spit.
29
The great one of Alba will come to rebel,
he will betray his great forebears.
The great man of Guise will come to vanquish him,
led captive with a monument erected.
30
The sack approaches, fire and great bloodshed.
Po the great rivers, the enterprise for the clowns;
after a long wait from Genoa and Nice,
Fossano, Turin the capture at Savigliano.
31
From Languedoc and Guienne more than ten
thousand will want to cross the Alps again.
The great Savoyards march against Brindisi,
Aquino and Bresse will come to drive them back.
32
From the bank of Montereale will be born one
who bores and calculates becoming a tyrant.
To raise a force in the marches of Milan,
to drain Faenza and Florence of gold and men
33
The kingdom stripped of its forces by fraud,
the fleet blockaded, passages for the spy;
two false friends will come to rally
to awaken hatred for a long time dormant.
34
The French nation will be in great grief,
vain and lighthearted, they will believe rash things.
No bread, salt, wine nor water, venom nor ale,
the greater one captured, hunger, cold and want.
35
The great fish will come to complain and weep
for having chosen, deceived concerning his age:
he will hardly want to remain with them,
he will be deceived by those (speaking) his own tongue.
36
God, the heavens, all the divine words in the waves,
carried by seven red-shaven heads to Byzantium:
against the anointed three hundred from Trebizond,
will make two laws, first horror then trust.
37
Ten sent to put the captain of the ship to death,
are altered by one that there is open revolt in the fleet.
Confusion, the leader and another stab and bite each other
at Lerins and the Hyerès, ships, prow into the darkness.
38
The elder royal one on a frisky horse
will spur so fiercely that it will bolt.
Mouth, mouthful, foot complaining in the embrace;
dragged, pulled, to die horribly.
39
The leader of the French army
will expect to lose the main phalanx.
Upon the pavement of oats and slate
the foreign nation will be undermined through Genoa.
40
Within casks anointed outside with oil and grease
twenty-one will be shut before the harbor,
at second watch; through death they will do great deeds;
to win the gates and be killed by the watch.
41
The bones of the feet and the hands locked up,
because of the noise the house is uninhabited for a long time.
Digging in dreams they will be unearthed,
the house healthy in inhabited without noise.
42
Two newly arrived have seized the poison,
to pour it in the kitchen of the great Prince.
By the scullion both are caught in the act,
taken he who thought to trouble the elder with death.

How to Cut Toxic People & Negative Friends Out of Your Life

Connections with other people are one of life's greatest joys. Interacting with those that you love and who love you can make the difference between an awful day and an amazing one.

However, we all have people in our lives who are less than perfect. In fact, no one in this world is perfect! There will be times when our best friends, loved ones, and life partners will have bad days. They might grumble, they might be negative, or they may even be snarky and mean to us. Or, we might be the ones who are feeling negative, and will do the same to other people. This is normal and natural -- everyone has good days and bad. If we love each other, we'll put up with it, because the bad is often outweighed by the good.

But there are also people who don't quite fit this mold. You know the types I'm talking about -- the drama queens, the judgmental jerks, the negativity sinks, the time wasters, negative friends, and the users. (I have a book about emotional vampires, which you can peruse here, which goes into greater depth about the types of emotional vampires that we deal with on a day to day basis.) When you care about someone, but they are depleting you, perhaps it's time to have a heart-to-hear with them about what's going on. It is okay to speak up and explain to your negative friends when your needs aren't getting met. Don't assume that you're being selfish just because you're standing up for yourself and your own well-being. (Also… here's a radical thought: What's so wrong with being a bit selfish now and again, anyway?) Dump that toxic friend! You do not need to spend time with someone who's draining away your energy.

If you've already had these conversations with those negative friends, and you're still searching for ways to end a friendship gracefully, chances are that your needs are still not being met. I'm assuming that you've already taken a good, long look at the friendship, including the parts that you had played in your dealings with this emotional vampire.

You may be feeling as though you've tried all of the solutions that you can -- speaking from the heart, setting limits, enforcing boundaries, or saying "no" once in awhile, only to continue to be met with disrespect, negativity, or a lack of reciprocity. It's now time for you to cut this toxic friendship from your life, so that you can invest that time in focusing on bigger and better things.

There are two ways that you can go about this: The easy way (which is often harder!), and the hard way (which is often easier!). Either can be effective; it simply depends on the type of negative person you are cutting out of your life.

The easy one has one basic step: Just cut them out. Quit calling or texting them. Stop taking their calls, unfriend them online, quit inviting them to your functions, and stop going to theirs. If you have mutual friends, you must also resist the temptation to talk about them with those friends. The drawback of this is that there could be some backlash, particularly if you're close. However, if this "friend" has done an egregious thing to you, betrayed a major trust, or committed some significant act of betrayal, it may be the way to go.

The hard way involves keeping the negative friend in your life. However, you'll simply be spending less time with them. (I must admit, I've done this method before! It works!) This method is much better for people that you do like, but are just too difficult to be around all the time. Maybe they're very high-maintenance, very negative, or just really different from you in uncomfortable ways. Perhaps they don't respect your boundaries and don't seem to respond well to discussions or other attempts to correct it. However, if they genuinely mean well and are not going out of their way to hurt you, the "hard way" is worth a try. It will take a lot more time, but will also be much easier on your friendship. Encourage this person to branch out and do new things -- this way, there'll be less time for them to bug you. ;) Pare down your communication: for example, if you speak on the phone every day or two, try cutting down to a couple times a week. If you hang out every week, try canceling from time to time and see if you can get it down to a couple of times a month. Make a plan to reduce the amount of time that you spend with him or her. Write it down on your calendar if you need to, but stick to the plan. On the occasions that you do talk or hang out, keep things positive and cordial. I'd also recommend that, during any conversation that you do have, you try to insert details about things that are keeping you so busy -- talk about your kids, your job, any hobbies or interests or obligations which might take up your time. You don't need to complain about these types of things (unless they truly are driving you nuts!), but making sure to acknowledge them will help take the edge off with your friend.

If you have mutual friends, and you try the above method, you may be required to spend time with this person anyway. That's okay! Sometimes being in a group with the toxic person can make things a lot more palatable. You'll both have other people to talk with, and you can even spend time together in a more controlled setting.

A few words of caution: If you're trying valiantly to keep things civil and the other person is not being accepting of the way things are, things could get dicey. Try the following phrases to diffuse tension:

"I understand."

"I'm sorry."

"Let's talk about this later, when we've both had time to calm down."

Whether you actually agree with the above statements is not the point. Diffusing a tough situation is the name of the game. Anyone who is going to throw tantrums, though, might need you to revert back to "the easy method."

Does this technique sound passive-aggressive? I know that some aspects of it certainly are. However, when you're dealing with an emotional vampire, sometimes it's much easier to do things gently as it helps to minimize the drama which is the emotional vampire's lifeblood. It also helps to preserve your sanity, as well.