Rhoden Family Murders

Christopher Jr., Christopher Sr., Dana, Kenneth, Gary, Hannah May, and Frankie Rhoden and Hazel Hannah Gilley were all found murdered in Cincinnati, Ohio in April of 2016. Three small children were left unharmed. Over a year later, the murders are still unsolved.Someone asked me, not too long ago, for the Tarot's comment on this case. This is another horoscope spread; sometimes, when there are many factors to take into account, this type of spread can show me the interactions between details involving multiple victims.

Our first house card, describing the crime scene and the crime, itself, is Death. These murders were definitely premeditated and deliberate. The murders were also committed by someone who felt above the law, and possessed of the "right" to kill another person. The second house, of money and possessions, specifically possessions that are connected to family, is the nine of pentacles, reversed. When this card falls reversed, it refers to financial projects that have not worked out well, and to losses....often of home or real estate; so we are already seeing an emerging story line, here, that could contribute to motive. There was someone who felt cheated out of security or home by this family. In the third house, which governs communication, short journeys, business prospects, power, commerce, and relatives, we have the two of cups. The two of cups is a card of partnerships. Often, it is seen as a card of romantic partnership, but this is misleading. It can describe a harmonious business partnership, too. Since we have it in the third house, we can see that there was either an assumed agreement made, involving property or belongings, or an agreement that was actually made verbally, yet not followed. Also, I think this card is telling us that there is more than one suspect in the murder; there is not only the person who pulled the trigger......there is an accessory or an accessory after the fact.

The fourth house, of home, environment, property, and mother, reiterates this theme by giving us the five of cups. The five of cups is about regrets, and the perpetrator has some regrets. Sometimes, this card speaks of inheritance, or marrying someone for money, but it is almost never up to one's expectations. This dynamic played a role in the situation.

The ace of cups, reversed, is in the fifth house of pleasures and love affairs. Here we have a failed relationship also contributing to the perpetrator's instability. Next, in the sixth house, we have two of swords. The sixth house is about day to day events, mundane work relationships, health, and everyday things. Whoever killed this family was at a standstill or a lull in his everyday activities in life. In fact, that contributed to the opportunity to make time to commit this crime. The seventh house, of partnerships, yields the ten of wands, reversed. This card is about lost lawsuits, duplicity, and broken promises. It is followed by the the eight of wands in the eighth house, telling about an exciting new flirtation for someone......someone in the Rhoden family had broken an agreement with someone, in favor of chasing something new with a different person.

In the ninth house, of law, long journeys, beliefs, and protection, we have the six of pentacles, reversed. This continues to tell a story of broken financial promises, assets, and a person who feels wronged via assumed or consciously made agreements. When the six of pentacles falls reversed, we often see bad debts or bad business practices. Seeing this card in the ninth house of law tells me that we are dealing with a murderer who took the law into his own hands. The tenth house, of social standing, relationships with employers, and the father, gives us the Wheel of Fortune, reversed. This murderer had just had a run of bad luck, either in connection with his job, or with some other aspect of his life involving his reputation and social standing. He may have been denied credit somewhere, prior this this incident. Following this, in the eleventh house, of hopes, dreams, and social life rather than social standing, we have the eight of cups, reversed. This signifies that the perpetrator has not told anyone who did not already know, what he did. The eight of cups is a card of shallow pleasure and abandonment of the spiritual in favor of material, and the eleventh house is the house of friends, and this person is living it up, so to speak.

The twelfth house, of secrets and secret enemies, shows the five of swords. The five of swords is a card of violence and revenge. To sum this up, the person who committed these murders did so for revenge: he felt that someone in the Rhoden family owed him something material, he was declined, and he set out to get revenge. Look for him to be early middle-aged and have reddish or dark blond hair, and a possibly a small paunch or love handles. There is another person close to him, possibly a lover, who knows what he did.

More On Phoenix Coldon

I've received a few more questions, recently, about Phoenix Coldon, a young woman who went missing in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2011; and for whom I did a reading in 2013. She is still missing, and there are still no suspects identified in her case. Specifically, I was asked to hone in on the perpetrator a bit more, and to see if there is a better way to find her than the conventional means employed by local law enforcement, to date. I decided to try a horoscope spread for this, as it can give the cards more latitude to tell their own story, giving me characters and places I would not know to ask about from the information I have been given.

The first house card is the nine of cups, which is a card of home and the comforts of home. It's presence in the first house suggests that this whole situation started where Phoenix lived, with someone she knew.....at least well enough to allow him (and it was a male) to get close enough for a conversation. The second house, of money and monetary transactions, gives us the ace of pentacles, reversed. Here we see money obtained by someone, but not in an ethical way. In the third house, of short journeys, business, and commerce, we have the King of Swords, reversed. This is interesting; court cards from the suit of swords are often law enforcement, or work in some capacity with law enforcement. This king is reversed, which makes him adversarial to Phoenix in some way. At this point, I am wondering if Phoenix had been mistaken for someone else, or if a police officer thought she had information about a crime or another person that she really didn't have.

In the fourth house, we get another "home" reference; the fourth house is the house of "home", and we have the four of wands, which is a card of harvest, celebration, and happiness. It also speaks to property, which plays a role here. The four of wands also represents a "haven", and it was necessary to get Phoenix away from her haven. The next card, in the fifth house, of love affairs, pleasure, and creativity, is the Emperor, reversed. This is an immature man who isn't honest, and this card also often refers to fraud. The fraud and dishonesty here was committed by a male in his late twenties, not by Phoenix. This is followed by the ten of cups, reversed, in the sixth house, of work relationships and mundane, everyday things. When the ten of cups falls reversed in a reading we often find betrayal and loss of friendship, and finding it in the sixth house points to a matter that may have originated where Phoenix worked or attended school.....some place she frequented daily.

The seventh house, of partnerships, gives us the Knight of Pentacles. This is a young man, in his early twenties, who is not involved in Phoenix's disappearance, but is very kindly disposed toward her. Moving into the eight house, of joint finances and of matters that pertain to the practical side of partnerships, we have the Page of Wands. Often, pages are young people, students, or children, but this time, I think the Page of Wands is a message or a report. As it follows the Knight of Pentacles, it gives good testimony about him. It would almost appear that the wrong person had been suspected in Phoenix's disappearance, at one time, and has been exonerated, or is no longer a suspect.

In the ninth house, of long journeys, the law, and higher education, we have the two of swords, reminding us that Phoenix did not end up far away, and warning us that the investigation is at a standstill. This card is at an opposition with the King of Swords in the third house, and shows that the biggest problem in finding Phoenix has to do with the King of Swords. The Wheel of Fortune is in the tenth house, and this has to do with relationships with bosses and superiors; often in the workplace. Once again, we have a reference to either work or school. The eleventh house, of friends and social life, gives us the Page of Cups, reversed. This tells me that a false lead, faulty tip, or an outright lie came, at one time or another, from someone Phoenix knew casually. The last card is the ace of wands, reversed, in the twelfth house, of secrets, restrictions, and secret enemies. This shows that early on, this investigation had a false start, and has never recovered.

A question that was asked had to do with corrupt law enforcement, and the King of Swords reversed would certainly suggest this. It is also troubling to note that directly opposite him, in the ninth house, is the two of swords. This makes the stalemate suggested by the two of swords almost look deliberate. The swords also continue to point us east, but not very far to the east. In conclusion, it looks very much as if Phoenix had either witnessed a crime, or had met an unsavory new friend, and had been questioned by someone else about the crime, or the other person's whereabouts. She appears to have been a bystander, here; but the King of Swords did not think she was a bystander. Finding her rests with the reversed King of Swords, and the investigation will have to begin all over again, starting with all of Phoenix's social media and cell phone communications. I always wish I had better news in this type of reading, and I pray Phoenix is found soon.

Alicia Marie Folkers Hummel

 

 On June 1, 2015, Alicia Marie Folkers Hummel was found deceased in Sioux City, Iowa. Her death was determined to be a homicide. A year later, there are no suspects identified, and her murder is unsolved. We will see if the Tarot can be of any help to shed light on who killed her and why.

The reading begins with the Queen of Wands, reversed, crossed by the ace of pentacles. This is interesting; we have a jealous, easily angered woman who is panting after a material prize of some sort, and this shows up as an important part of Alicia's case. In the causal background, we have the Hanged Man, which is a card of waiting and sometimes, of personal sacrifice. Then, as an event in Alicia's recent past, we have the three of swords, reversed. This speaks of family quarrels and of a distinct possibility that Alicia knew a sensitive secret about someone and compromised that person.Watching all this is the Queen of Swords. As this queen falls upright, and her suit is swords, it appears that she is either law enforcement or connected to the judicial system. She is intent upon solving this crime. A challenge she faces, however; is the Page of Swords, reversed. This is a young person who knows all of the information necessary to make an arrest and convict a suspect, but he is lying.

In the place of fears, we find the four of pentacles, reversed. Money was a factor here, yet money and resources are still being wasted. Alicia's killer(s) have not been able to completely cover their tracks and use any resources they had hoped to gain from this act. The physical environment is described by the Wheel of Fortune. This is partly a facade;the murder has not made anyone feel terribly lucky. The other message indicated by this card is that no one has been arrested yet, and the guilty party(s) is feeling as if there will never be an arrest. In hopes, we have the ten of swords,reversed. This almost speaks for itself: when this card falls reversed, we see a temporary position of power, and that is exactly what is driving the hopes and fears of the perpetrator, here. The ten of swords can also be a violent card.The reading ends with the seven of pentacles, reversed. This is clearly anxiety about money, and worry that the very reason for the murder will not come to fruition.

An important factor in solving this murder is in the reversed four of pentacles and the Wheel of Fortune. Right now, evidence is being hidden and stored, yet it remains useless to the guilty party while hidden and stored. As soon as it is no longer hidden, but in use, the case will be solved. Something else I picked up from the four of pentacles in reverse is an ever-so-slight lack of care on the part of the guilty party with evidence left near the crime scene. The crime will eventually be solved, seemingly by a stroke of luck.

Who Killed Antonia Yager?

Antonia, or Toni, Yager was found deceased in her apartment in Los Angeles, California in December of last year. Her murder is, as of yet, unsolved, and someone recently asked for my take on it. So I will see if the cards will shed any light on Toni's case.

The question I posed was, "Who killed Toni Yager, and why?" We have a main focus of the Knight of Cups crossed by Justice. As the knight is upside right, we will assume he is friend, not foe. Justice, as an entity and an institution, is involved, and is a force that challenges the Knight of Cups, somehow. In the background of the situation, we find the Knight of Wands, reversed, who I think is a likely suspect as the murderer. He is a man, perhaps a few years younger than the victim, and has an attitude of jealousy and likes to start arguments. Also in the background and past of this is the two of cups, which is a partnership of sorts. This tells me that either the reversed Knight of Wands had posed as a friend of Toni's, or had been involved with someone who was her friend. An element of abused partnership and trust exists. The Page of Cups appears as the motive, and I think it is what the killer wanted but did not get......some sort of gift, grant, or endorsement. Toni was seen as the Queen of Pentacles.......generous and rich, and someone thought they could get an affirmative answer from her about something, while she wanted to either think or ask others, first.

In the place of fears, we find the Tower. This card describes oppression and imprisonment, and is an appropriate fear for the perpetrator in a crime like this. The next card is the seven of wands, which tells us that the perpetrator is, for the moment, protected by privacy, both because he wasn't seen, and because no one has spoken up about any suspicions or de facto knowledge of the crime. This killer is hoping to move on, but for some reason, cannot do it right away without either being too obvious, or getting discovered. He has failed in his ambition, but is temporarily locked into the position he was in before he committed the murder. This is supported by the last card, which is the nine of cups, reversed. When the nine of cups falls reversed, it suggests plans that are not well thought out, and material losses. Look for someone who is either discreetly preparing to move residence, or sell his property.

Hopefully, Toni Yager's murder will be solved soon.

Who Killed Joshua Wayne Crawford?

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.