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.

Who Killed Mary Rachel Carson?

Time flies. It's been almost ten years since eighteen year old Mary Rachel Carson was murdered, and still not resolution. So I will see what the Tarot has to say about her case. This reading is a horoscope spread.

The card for the first house, which represents elements of the whole matter, is the ace of swords, reversed. This tells us of obstacles and snags, somewhere along the line, and a person with too much power. Following this in the second house, of possession.........who has what, and when.....is Judgement, reversed. Not only does this card often describe loss of possessions, but in reversal, it often speaks to a fear of death. So from the getgo, Ms. Carson a victim of someone who wanted something and had no problem with violence and murder, in order to take it. House three, relatives, memory, and short journeys, shows the three of pentacles, which is the card of the craftsman. In mundane terms, it would appear that the card is merely telling us that either the victim, the perpetrator, or a key witness was on his or her way to work. More on that later........

The Knight of Wands comes up, reversed, in the fourth house, which is the house of the home environment, also governing the last days of life. Interesting that a court card would appear here: when this knight is reversed, he is usually a youngish man in his twenties, and jealousy and covetous attitudes usually accompanies violence in scenarios involving this knight's reversals. Somehow, he was close to Ms. Carson's home environment. In the fifth house, love affairs, creative pursuits, and children, we find the three of swords, reversed. This screams that there was some sort of conflict involving those elements, between Ms. Carson and possibly, the Knight of Wands. The Devil, reversed, appears in the sixth house, which represents everyday things, such as work relationships, paying mundane bills, worry, and with whom the subject currently resides. Here, this card seems to be telling us about release from bondage, but by indecision followed by violence followed by cover-up. And it relates very directly to Ms. Carson, and her environs; it looks as if she and her killer may have known each other.

Moving on the the seventh house, of partnerships and close relationships, we have the High Priestess, which is a card of secrets. Something important, having to do with a marriage or a common law marriage was only known to the victim and her killer. The three of cups follows close on it's heels in the eighth house, the house of death, wills, joint finances, and probate. The three of cups, when it falls reversed, usually tells us that "all good things must come to an end", so it seems that we should look for someone who was able to benefit from Ms. Carson's death. In the ninth house, the house of law, the establishment, long trips, and protection, we have the four of pentacles. This is a card of clinging and hoarding, and this tells me that somehow, a legal entanglement involving the holding back of assets is at play here: the killer did not get everything he tried to get. Some information is still, somehow, tied up in probate, or there are unanswered questions.

In the tenth house, we have the Star, telling us that social status, such as it is to the perpetrator, was important at the time of the murder. His job, and his work relationships were more important than family his family. In the eleventh house, this is back up by the Moon, reversed. When the Moon falls reversed, I look for lies and false personas, and this time, it has fallen in the eleventh house, which rules not only hopes, wishes, and dreams, but friends and and social life! So....this person has been able, somehow, to keep the secret of the murder, and has not been accused by the justice system. He is not without an enemy, though. In the twelfth house, the house of subconscious secrets, institutions, self undoing, and secret adversaries, we find the King of Pentacles, reversed. This would be a man, probably over forty years of age, whose methods are not always "kosher". He has suspicions about the perpetrator's involvement in the murder, and is eagerly, but patiently waiting to bring the matter to light.

Search For William Tyrell

Three year old William Tyrell went missing over six months ago, so where is he, and what happened? We start out with the nine of cups, reversed, crossed by the five of swords. This is a message of revenge, in response to an imagined slight, or a "mistake" on someone's part, in some plan or process. Before this, the eight of swords, reversed, was the driving impetus. This has to do with removing one's self, or someone else, from a "trapped" position, and of gaining freedom. Somehow, these elements laid the groundwork for this child to disappear. 

An event that led up to this is illustrated by the Page of Cups, which tells us that someone involved here had just begun something new in life, and was almost ready to announce and celebrate it. I often see this card in conjunction with a birth. But......not everyone shared the celebratory mood. The next card is the ten of swords, which is clearly a card of violence, and also a card I truly do not like to see in a missing person's reading. It is followed by more bad news, the six of wands, reversed. This is a card that often shows itself reversed when an enemy, or someone with criminal intent, finds a way to gain leverage. This card's presence is why I am leaning toward William's disappearance being deliberate, and not an accident. 

The intentions of the perpetrator are shown by the four of pentacles, which is a card of the hoarder and miser. This is someone who has had setbacks, material and financial setbacks, and did not want someone close to William to enjoy new adventures or opportunities. It is also someone who does not like to share, and this time, the "feel" is that of a man in his thirties, or possibly early forties......I still say mid-thirties. It is followed by the ace of pentacles, reversed. This is public perception of the perpetrator's circumstances, and also the perpetrator's self image. The ace of pentacles reversed often refers not only to missed opportunities, but to crime, and money gotten through illicit means. A strong fear comes up as Judgment, reversed, which tells us that separation was, somehow, a motive for this crime. Sometimes, this card speaks to a fear of death, but as William is only three, I think this fear is on the part of the grownups. The last card is the six of swords, which is travel, often over water. While I see a lot of violence in this reading, and I see two cards that are often connected to murder, the ten of swords and reversed Judgment, and the reversed six of wands is almost always unfavorable news.......the six of swords is still a card of voyages. Maybe William can still be rescued. Swords point us east, and pentacles point us north. I will keep my fingers crossed.

What Happened To Tammy Mahoney?

Tammy Mahoney disappeared in 1981, and is presumed dead. Let's see if the Tarot can give us some ideas about her whereabouts and what happened to her.

The reading starts with the five of wands crossed by the page of swords. The five of wands is trickery; someone with key information has already played games with law enforcement and given deliberately misleading information. This person feels, somehow, more powerful, by withholding information. It's a bit like "owning" the situation. The incident in the past, leading up to this, involves traveling on a road that forked; the two of wands indicates a road that goes north/south for this. There is already a feeling that Tammy did not travel much further than the fork in the road. The next card is the Page of Pentacles. reversed. This indicates a difference of opinion Tammy had with someone, but to Tammy, it was not terribly important. Her companions that evening may have felt differently. The next card appears to describe a person involved in Tammy's disappearance. The Emperor, reversed, gives us an adult male who is immature for his age and possibly still lives at home......or at least, he did in 1981. The Emperor is usually an indication of a good father and a responsible man, but when it falls reversed, it often tells of a man who is not responsible for his children, and may owe child support for more than one child. Once again, this relates to this person's situation in 1981. The next card is the eight of wands, reversed. This is jealousy and arguments, as it falls reversed, but I am thinking that it may also be trying to tell us that "eight" is an important landmark or number. 

The staff give is the four of cups, reversed, in the place of fears. Here we see, once again, that the perpetrator is afraid, for some reason, to move on productively in life and grow up. This card, reversed, in any other position in a reading would tell us that this person is content, but in this position, it means that he is afraid to relax and be content. The next card we have is the Lovers, reversed. This points us toward the situation when Tammy went missing. Usually, when this card appears reversed in a position describing the people around a situation or person, it tells of parents or a family who are not in favor or a person's choice of marriage or domestic partner. Somehow, this dynamic came into the picture, here, too. This is followed up by the ace of swords, reversed, in the place of desires. This is momentary, short lived power, and someone had made it a mission and a raison d`etre to "eliminate" Tammy. The only good news I see here is that the Knight of Cups, and man in his late thirties or early forties, is still looking for Tammy. The rest of the reading does not look promising; it appears as if Tammy was murdered, very likely shot, and buried somewhere off of a highway. Hopefully, she will be found soon.