Mollie Tibbets

Mollie Tibbets, age 20, was last seen on July 18, jogging in Brooklyn, Iowa, where she lived. She was reportedly staying at the home of her boyfriend, feeding his dogs while he was out of town. Since then, there has been no trace of her. So where is she and what happened? We will see if the Tarot can shed any light. I did a horoscope spread, here, because while it can often give diffused or non-specific information, it can also give more information.

We have the Magician in the first house, of the case, itself. This tells us that law enforcement has someone who knows how to manage a case such as this already hard at work. It also shows a certain amount of deliberate action behind Mollie's disappearance.....someone made her disappear for a reason. In the second house, not only of money and financial prospects, but also of things that are important to us, we have the Wheel of Fortune. This shows that there was something to be gained, or something to be protected. I believe it illustrates the reason Mollie is missing, but we will continue, and return to this card later. The third house, of short journeys, communication, brothers and sisters, and of memory, gives us Justice, reversed. This almost screams legal complications; it is beginning to look as if Mollie saw something or became aware of something that could have compromised another person or persons.

The fourth house, of environment, shows the Queen of Pentacles. This is a woman who is intelligent, generous, and hard working. This is the first reference to Mollie, herself, so far. Her generosity was problematic, and somehow became part of the picture in her missing persons case. The fifth house yields the two of cups. The fifth house governs love affairs, pleasure, and amusement and the two of cups speaks of romantic and business partnerships. These two elements; fifth house and partnerships, are key, here. The person who can tell us where to find Mollie is someone she knows, and she trusted that person. The sixth house of everyday things and inconveniences gives us the Hierophant, the card of tradition and conformity. So far, the message is that the relationship between Mollie and the person who took her was somehow not suspect, and appeared to have the approval of societal conventions, and Mollie felt safe.

In the seventh house of partners, agreements, and the public, we are shown the ace of wands. The ace of wands is a new idea or undertaking, and the seventh house is all about agreements. Once again, the message is that Mollie agreed, thinking she was safe, even if the ace of wands provided a new experience in unfamiliar territory.....either literal or figurative. Then, in the eighth house, we see the High Priestess, which is about secrecy. The eight house is the house of joint finances and debt arising from joint finances, and sometimes of death. Seeing a card of mystery and secrecy here is a bit disconcerting. This card, and the Hierophant are also the cards that speak the most strongly of location, so far. Churches, and female saints could be clues. Another reference of the High Priestess is water; water that is deep enough to hide something.

We have the ace of cups in the ninth house, of long journeys, beliefs, and law. This is another water card, and I am beginning to wonder if water is part of the entire picture. A water card in a house that symbolizes the law could be telling us that water has been used to hide evidence from the law. A longer journey was considered, but I do not think it happened. The tenth house, of social status and career, shows the three of wands. The three of wands is another "partnership" card, but this card often refers to partnerships involving more than two people, and partnerships that center on commerce or cooperation in everyday efforts. This is a suggestion that more than one person knows where to find Mollie. It tells of accomplices, and possibly, of at least one accessory after the fact. It would also be a good idea to check the workplace or job sites of any of Mollie's friends who had immediate contact with her prior to the disappearance.

We have the Knight of Cups in the eleventh house, of friends and social connection. This is a young man with light brown hair and hazel or blueish eyes. He is a "romantic", and as he is upside right, I will assume that he is friend, not foe. Knights often have important information, and this knight is no exception. He represents a tip that helps to solve this case. The twelfth house, of endings, secrets, and self destruction, gives us the six of pentacles, reversed. This is the "you get what you pay for" card, only it is reversed. In reversal, this card often tells of unpaid debts, bad credit, and sometimes, embezzling and fraud. I hate to see it in this position, because it may mean that someone with bad intentions will try to collect reward money.

The only cards pointing to a possible death are water cards; however, there are several cards that indicate bad intentions: Justice reversed, the three of wands, and the six of pentacles, reversed. Two weeks, going on three weeks, is also a along time for anyone to be missing. The High Priestess in the eighth house concerns me; it shows that an effort has been made to hide Mollie, and to hide the reason she disappeared. I do think she will be found, and I see the person responsible for her disappearance attempting to flee....another inference of the three of wands. He....yes, "he" will try to be casual about it, though. I truly hope she can be found safe, and I will keep her in my thoughts.

Paul Manafort's Trial

In light of recent news stories about Paul Manafort and his trial for bank fraud, money laundering, violating a federal lobbying disclosure law, obstruction of justice, and over twenty-five other unlawful odds and ends, I decided to do a reading about the trial, which began this week. My curiosity is piqued, not only about the outcome of the trial, but about the trial itself and its nuances in relation to others whose affairs are on Robert Mueller's radar. With that in mind, the reading will be a horoscope spread, since that type of reading often generates more information, albeit the final outcome isn't always as clear. Here goes:

We begin with the four of swords, reversed, in the first house; the house of self and of the actual charges and case, here. The four of swords, when it falls reversed, tells of sudden, renewed activity and social unrest. It also advises circumspection and caution about spending money, and it appears that Manafort used very little caution. This card points to Manafort's cavalier behavior as the reason he was so handily caught and arrested. It also shows us that regardless of the testimony of witnesses, there is a paper trail and an electronic trail in this case. Next, in the second house, of wealth, possessions, and prospects, we have the two of pentacles, also reversed. Here, we have an inability to balance two financial opposites, and we also have feigned happiness. This shows us that Manafort's checkbook did not always balance, and that Manafort had a tendency to pretend that it did. Following this, in the third house, which governs short trips, communication, business and commerce, and sometimes, relatives; we have the Knight of Wands, reversed. When this knight falls reversed, he is often a jealous and disruptive man, but he can also auger an event. Perhaps it is both, here. It would definitely describe a covetous and jealous middle aged man, always wanting more of everything; and it would also describe the arrest, complete with the "no knock" warrant that was served on Manafort in July of 2017. The cavalier behavior of this knight is one of the reasons he stood out as a possible criminal.

In the fourth house, of home environment and property, including real estate, we have the Page of Wands. This card can indicate a young person with something to say, or it can be a message. I rather think that this is one of the witnesses, here, and this witness knows a lot about Paul Manafort's homes and other real estate holdings. This witness is testifying and cooperating with prosecutors.

The fifth house brings us to a new theme in this case, and that is evidence. The fifth house is the house of creativity and amusement, and often, children. In it, we find the ten of wands. The ten of wands signifies an attempt to put something to rest that either did not work out well, or has ended. In this position, I interpret it to mean that someone close to Manafort, perhaps a family member, attempted to destroy or dispense with evidence. This will be featured in the prosecution's case. The sixth house, of health, day to day affairs, and inconveniences show the nine of cups. This may look like a partial victory for Manafort, as it shows he has enjoyed good health up until now, and has never lacked material comforts. Perhaps there has been too much focus on this, both by the prosecution, and by Manafort, during his pretrial life! He still has the best of everything material that a man in his position can have, and that includes legal representation.

In the seventh house, of partnerships, marriage and divorce, agreements, and of public perception, we see the three of wands. This augers that both the prosecution and the defense will have help and testimony from experts and from successful persons who have worked with Manafort in the past. This may look good for Manafort, but the eighth house, which is directly connected to the seventh house via monetary agreements with partners, gives us the two of wands, reversed. This is a warning that the prosecution has the upper hand here, in one way or another, and that any "help" offered to Manafort could easily backfire. The eighth house is also a house of death, loss, and karma. Manafort may find himself indefinitely dominated by others.

The ninth house governs long journeys, overseas matters, and law. In it, we have the four of pentacles, which is the proverbial card of the miser. Material possessions, once again, seem to feature prominently in this case. The suggestion is that Manafort still owns a few assets overseas, and this will factor into the case against him. Next, in the tenth house of career, ambition, and social status, we have Judgement, reversed. The verdict almost doesn't matter: Manafort will never fully recover from this trial. This card also speaks to a loss of worldly goods, and it certainly augers an end to some of the delusions with which Manafort fooled himself. He really thought he would never go to jail, and that's where he is, right now, while this case is tried.

The two of swords appears in the eleventh house of debates, friends, and social life. This card carries a couple of different meanings, here. It is a card of balanced forces, and it sometimes signals a stalemate. It could warn of a "hung jury", or that Manafort will enter a plea before the end of his trial. As it appears in a house that governs social life, it still shows that this matter will not necessarily end with this trial, and that his personal life is still in a state of suspense. More charges and another trial, perhaps? Another possible message on this card could be about the length of the trial, which will probably be about two weeks, give or take a day.

The last card, in the twelfth house, of secrets, self undoing, enemies, institutions, and sometimes, death, gives us the Fool, reversed. This shows faulty choices, and also shows that there will likely be a guilty verdict, at least on a few of the charges; and that there will be an appeal. It does not appear likely that Manafort will be a free man any time soon, and there is a suggestion that a plea bargain prior to the beginning of the trial would have been a better choice.

I will follow this up after the trial is over, as I have never done a reading quite like this one. Thank you for reading, everyone.


Update: On August 21, 2018, Paul Manafort was found guilty of eight of the charges lodged against him. Ten charges were declared "mistrial".