Although he died back in 1566, it seems that Nostradamus, the famous French physician and astrologer, continues to remain relevant — at least in the eyes of his believers. His enigmatic book Les Prophéties, first published in 1555, is considered by many to be an endless source of predictions that have supposedly come true throughout history.

His followers claim that he foresaw events such as the Great Fire of London, the French Revolution, the rise of Hitler, the two world wars, and even the assassination of Kennedy. Now, they claim to have deciphered his prophecy for the final months of 2025 — and it does not sound promising at all.

The relevant passage from his writings, as interpreted by his believers, is as cryptic as ever:

“When Mars rules his path among the stars, human blood will drip in the temple. Three flames shall rise from the East, while the West will lose its light in silence.”

The common interpretation is troubling:

Mars: the Roman god of war. Symbolizes a period of violence and conflict.

“Human blood will drip in the temple”: hints at suffering and loss of life, perhaps even in places considered sacred or protected.

“Three flames shall rise from the East”: often interpreted as the rise of new wars or significant new forces in Asia or Eastern Europe.

“The West will lose its light in silence”: sounds like a particularly dark prediction of the decline of the influence, power, and stability of Western nations.

It is important to remember that Nostradamus never wrote clear predictions. His style was cryptic, symbolic, and open to endless interpretations. He did not write “in 1666 a bakery in London will catch fire,” but rather obscure lines such as “the blood of the just will be demanded in London, burnt by fire in the year of the twenty-three of the sixes…”. Only afterward, once the event had already occurred, did his followers “connect the dots” and claim he had predicted it.

Moreover, many of the “prophecies” attributed to him simply never came true. Therefore, these predictions should be taken with a very large grain of salt.

If the end-of-year prophecy was not stressful enough, Nostradamus’ commentators attribute to him a few more “optimistic” predictions for 2025:

A “ball of fire” from space: some interpret this as an asteroid or a nuclear bomb hitting Earth.

England destroyed: conflicts in Europe (perhaps related to the war in Ukraine) will cause heavy destruction in England.

A deadly plague: “a great plague of the past returns.”

Climate disasters: especially in Brazil, in the Amazon region.

A mysterious leader: the rise of a leader who will establish a “maritime empire.”

Whether you believe in ancient prophecies or prefer to rely on modern experts (who themselves have some harsh predictions about future wars in Europe), one thing is certain: even 500 years after his death, Nostradamus still manages to stir in us the primal fear of the unknown.