I got a request to do a reading for Madeleine McCann, the four year old girl who disappeared in 2007 in Portugal, while vacationing with her parents. I had intended to do a reading for her, anyway, so today is a good day for me to sit down and ask the cards. Below, there is a photo of her, along with an age progressed picture, since she would be nine years old if she were found today.
This reading begins with the six of pentacles crossed by Death. I can see two distinct but possibly coexistant messages here. First, pentacles relate to the element of Earth, and we have the six of pentacles, and as it is crossed by Death, this could mean that Madeleine is no longer with us, or "six feet under" somewhere. On an interpersonal and social level, the six of pentacles could mean that someone wanted something material from Madeleine's parents, and decided to threaten and use Madeleine in order to manipulate them.
As a base, we have the eight of cups reversed, which shows good times, but really nothing more. This fits in with the vacation the McCann's were taking when Madeleine disappeared. A person who is part of this event, but in the past, is the King of Swords, reversed. Court cards in the suit of swords are often law enforcement or lawyers or judges, and sometimes events involving legal matters. As he is reversed, he is not very well meaning toward the McCanns, and possibly not toward Madeleine, either. Because of the next two cards, I feel that he is an actual person who was involved in this. The very best thing the McCanns could have done on the day this happened was to go home immediately.....it looks as if someone threatened them or stalked them, and they did not take it seriously enough. This is indicated by the eight of wands as a possible outcome this could have had, but didn't. The next card, something that DID happen, is the five of swords, which is revenge.
In the place of secrets and introspection, we have the High Priestess, and in this position, she represents insight, but she is insight with which no one truly wishes to contend. Somehow, the truth is perceivable, but no one really wants to see it or think about it. In the place of environment, the nine of pentacles appears. This is a card of financial independence, and it is also the way the McCanns are perceived. There is an air of "they have money, let them solve their own problems" about this. The three of wands reversed follows this, representing an atmosphere where no one wanted to work with the McCanns to find Madeleine. The final card here is the ace of pentacles.
This all appears to revert to the upside down King of Swords. While I feel he is law enforcement, I also feel he knows what happened, and decided, early on, not to help. This king answers to corruption, and wanted to keep charging the McCanns more and more money in order to solve the case. Even then, it is doubtful that Madeleine would have been returned, and it would have been discovered that he did not do his job. No one expected this case to make world headlines, but it did. It really looks like the McCanns were targeted by an angry, jealous man who felt that they "owed him something" for some reason, and it also looks as if the police deliberately did not help or even truly investigate until it was too late. It sounds unusual, but that is what the cards tell me.
As for Madeleine's fate, I pulled two more cards. Those were Justice, and the six of wands, reversed. Sadly, I do not think any news we get of Madeleine will be that she is still with us, but somehow, some way, she will get justice. The Justice card was upright.
