This does not negate the existence of Mother Shipton, which I feel was proven quite convincingly by
historian Arnold Kellett (see the History section of ShiptonProphecy.com), but it does require intellectual integrity to honestly evaluate the likely forgery of what are some of the most fascinating words attributed to her.Many of the prophecies in question were published in a 1995 edition of Nexus magazine (referenced here), with a statement that they were carefully transcribed 30 years previously by a woman who said she discovered them in what is now the State Library of New South Wales in Australia. Some of the prophecies published in Nexus had been previously released in the 1800's by Charles Hindley, with many new additions given in Nexus.
Historian Arnold Kellett insists the Nexus prophecies originated in "a tract issued by an extreme fundamentalist and puritanical sect in the U.S.A." in the 1930's, and I do place credence in Dr. Kellett's research. I will say, however, that if they were all written in the 1930's, then they exhibit some interesting prophetic qualities of their own, a possible case of prophetic gifts inspired by Mother Shipton, but not necessarily originating with Mother Shipton herself.
What we know with certainty is that none of these prophecies have been referenced in print prior to the 1930's, and even the tract Dr. Kellett mentions is not findable, leaving Nexus as the only source for now. Just because they have been repeated far and wide all over the internet, even on "The History Channel", doesn't mean they have been proven to be authentic. Dr. Kellett expressed his dismay at their repetition in his book Mother Shipton: Witch and Prophetess.
The likely forgeries discuss women wearing pants and cutting their hair, references to occurrences in 1926 (making it even more likely at least some were written in the 1930's),
moving pictures, submarines and airplanes, and a rather detailed series of brutal End Times catastrophes (wars, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes) after Gabriel "blows his wondrous horn". They also include intriguing prophetic references to what could be meteorites, solar flares, UFOs, Indigo children and a Golden Age.It is these latter references which make these prophecies particularly interesting if indeed they were written in the 1930's as Dr. Kellett claims. Without being able to find the evangelical tract to which Dr. Kellett refers, something I very much would like to locate, we don't yet know if what was published in Nexus contains any additions from the tract. The book Mother Shiption: The Missing Prophecies suggests that some may have originated with Miss Frances Yule in the early 1980's, who wrote other prophecies of her own as well.
I will be analyzing the mystery surrounding some of these prophecies soon in more detail on ShiptonProphecy.com, including how they relate to some interesting occurrences in history and today, as promised in my last blog entry. I will also be updating some of my conclusions regarding the Charles Hindley prophecies from the 1800's, yet another set that show a fascinating prescience, yet must be called into question as authentic Mother Shipton prophecies.
The Nexus prophecies end with Mother Shipton's alleged prediction of some day being burned at the stake. There is no record of such a death, and it's very possible she lived to a contented old age, loved and respected by her neighbors, a rare prophetess they chose to heed instead of burn.
