Brittanee Drexel

The fifth anniversary of Brittanee Drexel's disapearance just passed on April 25, and her case piqued my interest, because she's been missing for so long. No one just vanishes into this air.

We start with the Page of Cups crossed by The High Priestess. Brittanee, the Page, was quite emotional about going on this trip to Myrtle Beach. Her mother, represented by the High Priestess, had not given her permission to go. In this instance, The High Priestess, rather than the Empress, better illustrates the mother's input, because it involved authority and instruction, rather than care taking. These two were at odds, but the ultimate decision to leave home without permission was undertaken by Brittanee.

The four of wands appears in the place of foundation for this situation, only it is reversed. Generally, reversal does not alter the meaning of this card too much, but in this case, I think the card is telling us that the usual party or vacation after hard work described by this card was somehow less than perfect, here. There was still a celebration of sorts, but Brittanee was somehow out of place. The next card is the three of wands, also reversed. This is betrayal, often disguised as friendship or assistance. But why? We find the ten of swords, reversed as a possibility: there was a power play going on, followed by physical violence. I never like to see the ten of swords appear in a reading about a missing person. This is followed up by the ten of wands, which, in this case, is a problem solved by unwise use of power. Ten seems to be a telling number here; it is a number describing completions or endings, but the Tarot could also be trying to give us a clue to location. The ten of wands also suggests that Brittanee was taken somewhere, and did not walk or drive, herself.

Temperance comes up in the place of self, and my attention was drawn to the hills in the background on this card, in the Ryder-Waite deck. This forces me to wonder if this is connected to physical location......Temperance Drive or Road? Temperance Hill? Esoterically and otherwise, this card refers to efficient combinations that work well together, and to melting away impurities. Once is awhile, resisting recreational drugs and alcohol is also suggested by this card, but I really think it calls our attention to the name of a place. The nine of cups came up reversed in surroundings, and card tells of health, good food, and stability when upright, but reversed, it means the opposite. Somehow, too much drinking, or consumption of something toxic or just unhealthy, was part of this picture. The star shows up reversed in the place of hopes; this is pessimism. It can also describe a place where water reflects the light of stars and the moon, but it's position is reversed in this reading, and I would expect to find the subject currently unable to benefit from the hope offered by this card when it falls upside right. The last card is the six of cups. This card is a card of memories of the past, and I would be inclined to look for clues to Brittanee's whereabouts in a place that was familiar to at least one of her companions. It might even be a place one of them frequented as a child. This reading tells of betrayal, so I think someone familiar to Brittanee was involved in her disappearance, rather than a stranger.