The decoding numbers of quatrains
Time after time sensational statements appear in the media that someone found the key to deciphering all Nostradamus prophecies. But they are not confirmed. I will not claim that I have found the key and can decipher all the prophecies. In some quatrains years are indicated almost explicitly. For example, in the quatrain 917 it is enough to put 1 before the number and it will be 1917. The same is in number 8.12. In the quatrain 8.19, it is enough to put 1 at the end and we will get year 1918 in the reverse order. Therefore, there is no universal key. No one can decipher all prophecies, as they are spread until the end of the world. Even if we assume that someone can decipher the future correctly this person will not be able to prove it until the future becomes present or past. Only then historical facts will appear confirming the correctness of interpretation.
In quatrain numbers the prophet ciphered the years of the predicted events. He gave a hint to decipher in the quatrain 1.2: "The rod in the hands placed in the middle of branches." The branches, probably, is the quatrains number. Most of them consist of 3 digits. Two digits have only the first nine quatrains in each century. The quatrains numbers have 4 digits only in the tenth century. The rod is most likely the digit 1. It should be placed in a number (tripod) to get 4 digits of the year. The digit 1 can be place in any position of the number or added or subtracted. 00 to hundreds or 000 to thousands can be add to the century number. In the quatrain 1.6 by adding 00 and 1, we get the year of the predicted event – 1601.
Having tried various operations with the numbers of quatrains I came to the conclusion that the Prophet used various methods for encryption the year.
1. The method of permutation of digits. For example, in the quatrain 3.59 the digits should be read in the reverse order as 953, adding 1 at ahead we will get as result the year of Stalin's death. In prophecy 3.97 it is enough to put 3 at the end, and add 1 to the start and there will be 1973 – the year of Syrian Constitution adoption. This simplest method was used in quatrains: 4.39, 5.29, 5.56, 5.91, 5.94, 8.57, 9.45, 9.53, etc.
2. Digit flipping method: 6 into 9, 5 into 2 and vice versa. For example in quatrain 4.56 if we turn 6 to 9, read in reverse order and add 1 in front we will get 1945. This method was used in quatrains: 4.93, 6.9, 3.60 and many others.