On July2, 2003, twenty-one year old Joshua Crawford was found murdered in his Frederick, Maryland apartment. The murder has yet to be solved, so we will see what light the Tarot can shed.
I used a horoscope spread this reading, and the first house, of appearance and personality, is
represented by the Chariot, reversed. The message here is revenge. Egos had obviously been out of balance, and two parties, the victim and his killer, had not been able to find a middle ground. The card for the second house, money and possessions, is the ace of pentacles. This gives the murder a monetary slant. Some either took something material at the time of the murder, or had something financial to gain. When we move into the third house, of short journeys and communication, we find the seven of swords, reversed. When this card is upside right, it tells a tale of half measures and of taking things to which one has no right, but upside down, the meaning is good planning and success, albeit clandestine! Lungs and breathing are often indicated in this house, as, sometimes, are relatives and friends. So it appears that this murder was actually premeditated, by someone known to the victim.
The fourth house, of home environment, turns up the six of swords, reversed. The six of swords is a card of travel, but when it appears reversed, it tells of the opposite. I think this refers to Joshua's body being left behind, in his apartment. It may also be telling us that Joshua refused to budge on something, or "go along" with someone else's plans. In the fifth house, of creativity and pleasure, the nine of wands appears, and the message is simple: impatience. Children are also represented by the fifth house; did Joshua have children and child support issues? In the house of employment relationships and everyday affairs, we find the King of Swords, and as he is upside right, we will assume that he is kindly disposed toward Joshua. Court cards in the suit of swords are often law enforcement or lawyers, so did law enforcement find Joshua? Or did his employer report that he had not been to work? This is the person who either found Joshua, or set matters in motion in order to have him found.
In the seventh house, we have the seven of cups. This is the house of partnerships, marriage in particular, and of close relationships and public perception, The seven of cups tells us that Joshua was a bit of a dreamer, and possibly a romantic at times........but how this factors into his murder is curious......it is as if someone had written him off because of his dreams! The fallout from the death, itself, is represented in the eighth house by the six of pentacles, reversed. This is jealousy, but over material matters and money, rather than romance. The ninth house, of law, the "establishment", and, (ahem!) of long journeys, shows us the six of cups. The six of cups usually describes childhood memories and childhood friends. To see it here, in a reading about an unsolved murder, is disturbing, especially in the house of law and long journeys! The ninth house also governs education and criminal investigations, and I think this card is telling us that the murderer is someone who attended school at the same time as Joshua, and shared some childhood experiences. This person also sidestepped scrutiny and traveled at convenient times, and to this day, has not been looked at properly. The tenth house, career and social status, describes the killer with Strength, reversed. This is a person favors discord and abuses any position or opportunity that comes his way. In the eleventh house, we have Death, reversed. The killer's life is rather stagnant now, without much of a social life. His undoing appears to be lack of movement and inattention to details. I go out on a limb here, a bit, with a physical description, but I would expect him to be overweight, as well. The tenth and eleventh houses often describe feet, legs, and ankles, and both Strength and Death reversed tell a story of laziness. The twelfth house has the Hierophant, reversed. This is technology or a clue that is not standard in a murder investigation, but; nonetheless, plays a crucial role in investigating the crime. A secret makes it's way into the open in a very unorthodox way, and the murderer ends up surprised at his unlikely adversary. It is my opinion that he cannot hide forever, and that Joshua's murder will be solved one day.
