What Happened To Ashley Summers?

 

Ashley Summers disappeared from her home in July of 2007, when she was fourteen years old; apparently having run away from home. She telephoned her mom about a month later, but no one has heard from her since. So what happened?

We begin with the three of cups, reversed, crossed by the King of Wands. The three of cups reversed is often a message about excess, such as too much drinking, too much partying, ect. The King of Wands, taking his position crossing this, seems to be a clear enough message; an older male attempted to put a stop to the behaviors and excesses described by the three of cups reversed. Beneath this, we have the Page of Cups, reversed. This is a young person, quite possibly Ashley, who is a bit sneaky at times, and difficult. The nine of wands, reversed, follows, giving us a clearer picture of the impatience on the part of the King of Wands, and the defiance on the part of the Page of Cups. We have a rebellious teen.

Crowing the situation, we get the eight of wands, which is a card of infatuation and sudden decisions and actions. Somewhere in the background to this, Ashley had a love interest who inspired, and possibly assisted in her disappearance. Next, we see the seven of wands, reversed. This is indecision and anxiety; it is the fast forwarded "snapshot" of part of the situation today, over eight years later. Indecision and anxiety play major roles in the continued lack of resolution of Ashley's case. 

In the place of fears, we find the Queen of Pentacles. This is a woman connected to the situation, who was an adult at the time Ashley went missing. As she falls upside right, I will assume, for now, that she has Ashley's best interest at heart. The next card, in the place of environment, is the High Priestess. The High Priestess represents hidden matters and mystery, and this aptly describes Ashley. She has not decided to come forward yet. In the place of hopes, we have the ten of cups, which gives us two things: hopes of Ashley's well-wishers, hoping to find that she is doing well; and hopes of Ashley, herself, for happiness and family. As a final outcome, we have the Empress, which is an interesting card as an outcome. The Empress represents feminine influence and motherhood, and this is the energy at play, here. I think that the mother figure, and perhaps Ashley's own mother, is the voice to which she is most likely to respond, and in turn, the echo in her own life.

What Happened To Jeremy Coots?

Four year old Jeremy Coots wandered away from his babysitter's home in Atchison, Kansas,in 1977. After no one was able to find him, it was presumed that he fell into the Missouri River. He is presumed dead, but he has never been found. Perhaps the Tarot can shed some light.

We begin with the Knight of Cups, crossed by the eight of cups. This is a happy young man, on a mission of friendship or even love, but as the eight of cups suggests, he suddenly abandoned this activity for some reason. I do not believe he is Jeremy; but I do think he is someone with whom Jeremy may have crossed paths that day. Beneath this, we find the King of Swords, reversed. This time, I do not think the king's presence refers to another person, but to a situation, this situation being fear. This king often represents law enforcement, or law in general; and here, I think he is telling us about fear of the same, or fear of lawsuits. Somehow, that veneer colors this situation.

The four of pentacles follows this, heralding obstacles and setbacks in financial matters. Once more, this is in relation to the Knight of Cups, rather than Jeremy. Crowning it, we have the nine of cups, reversed. It tells of mistakes, possibly too much drinking. Then we have the nine of wands. A waiting game was played by someone, followed up by deliberate but discreet defensiveness.

In the place of fears, we have the nine of swords, reversed. This is a fear of not only a lawsuit, but of prison. The general environment gives us the Queen of Pentacles, reversed. This is a female presence, and as she falls reversed, her contribution to Jeremy's disappearance was a negative one. The sun comes up, reversed, in the place of hopes. This is a hope on someone's part that this whole matter stays clouded. The last card is the five of cups. This is a sad card to see in this position; it foretells recovery, but it is still a card of loss. The five of cups is also symbolic of water, often of shallow rivers or creeks. The Queen of Pentacles is associated with earth, however. The Knight of Cups, in fact all knights, often symbolize matters coming or going in the Tarot. On mundane levels, knights are sometimes people traveling or people driving. My first thought when I saw the basis, with the knight crossed by the eight of cups, was that Jeremy had wandered away and gotten hit by a car. If not, a car was definitely involved, somehow. Water is also involved. The wands point us south, perhaps nine miles, as tentatively suggested by the nine of wands. I would also look for evidence outside, as suggested by the Sun. I always hope to find that I am wrong when the interpretation of a reading comes to me this way. I hope Jeremy Coots is found soon.

Where Are The Fandel Children?

Amy and Scott Fandel, a brother and sister in Alaska, disappeared on from their home on September 5, 1978. He was thirteen years old, she was eight. They had been left home alone for the evening, and were not reported missing until the following day. Their case has not been resolved, so lets see if the Tarot can give us any answers.

This reading starts with the eight of wands, reversed, crossed by the Queen of Wands. This appears to be jealousy, aimed at this queen, almost as if harming the children were a means of expressing anger toward the Queen of Wands. Beneath this, we have the five of swords, reversed, supporting this. It is a suggestion that someone incurred a loss, of sorts, to the Queen of Wands, and exacted revenge upon her. We also have the two of cups, reversed, in the background, telling us that the loss involved either a friendship or a romantic partnership.

Crowning all of this is the Empress, reversed. She suggests that the children should not have been left alone. Following this, we have the six of swords, showing travel, possibly across water or across a border between different states.

The children were not taken by a sole abductor, as the three of wands appears in the place of "self" on the staff. The three of wands indicates a cooperative effort between different individuals. The next card, in the place of opinions of others, is Justice. This tells us that whoever took Amy and Scott felt perfectly justified in doing so. Next, we have the Fool, in the place of hopes. This is clearly a hope of moving forward without getting caught or discovered. Last, we have the two of swords, reversed. When the two of swords falls upside right, we see stalemated situations, but when it falls reversed, the message is quite the opposite: some time in the future, we will see movement in this case, but it will be unusual and almost appear to be the wrong thing at the wrong time.

The only card suggesting death or violence is the five of swords; this worries me; still, I do not see death in this reading.....that is not to say it hasn't occurred, though. The direction we see here is south......and combined with the six of swords, it is at least a couple days journey to the south. This whole crime appears to have been dreamed up and mostly executed by a woman, as there is a lot of feminine energy in this reading, lent by the Queen of Wands and the Empress. What I do not see are efforts on the part of law enforcement to find the children, or the results of such efforts.

How Has William Bradford Bishop Evaded Capture?

I have gotten several requests for another reading about William Bradford Bishop, who killed his Montgomery County, Maryland family in 1976 and dumped them, along with evidence, in North Carolina before he disappeared. He had worked for the U.S. State Department and for the U.S. Foreign Service for most of his career, but when handed a desk job in Washington, D.C., he responded with the murder of his family. I am not sure that I can add anything to the Tarot's initial comment on this, but I might be able to get some insight on how Bishop has evaded capture since 1976.

We start with a basis of the five of swords, reversed, crossed by the Page of Swords. This gives us a picture, via swords and air, of control of information and words. Somehow, Bishop has managed the information connected to his whereabouts very well. Has he seriously lived under the radar, though? When the five of swords falls reversed, as it has in this case, there is always a chance of defeat. We must note that the Page of Swords crossing the reversed five is upside right, so this page is likely to side with Justice, not with Bishop. It appears that there is a person, possibly a young person...or a significantly younger person than Bishop, who knows the story and can give us information.

Beneath this, we find the nine of pentacles. Bishop has made a very secure home for himself somewhere. He found a way to obtain everything needed for survival. Another card following this this is the Knight of Wands, reversed. This is a recent disruption in either Bishop's life, or in the secrecy of his situation and whereabouts. There has been a disagreement of sorts, about the carefully managed information. Either someone close to him has lost trust in him, or someone who knows his secrets has experienced a better offer, so to speak, than Bishop can offer. Bishop's secrets are in danger of getting aired openly. Next, in the realm of possibility, we have the Queen of Pentacles, reversed. This is a moody, mistrusting woman. And well she might mistrust; after all, look at the charges against Bishop! She is probably olive in complexion, with dark hair and eyes. So far, her testimony and contributions are only in the realm of possibility, though. Coming up in the near future, we have the five of wands, reversed. This card usually refers to games and deception, but as it falls reversed here, the message is about contradictions. Someone may come forward with embarrassing or dangerous secrets.

In the place of fears, we have the ten of pentacles, reversed. This lends an aura of fear of loss or "poor risks" to this situation. Bishop has remained successfully on the lam for many years by carefully evaluating every risk he has taken; but somehow, his abilities are outmatched, of late. The Hermit follows, in the place of environment. There is still a perceived duty, on the part of the law enforcement community, to find Bishop, and the few who know Bishop's secrets are aware of this. We find the Sun, reversed, in the place of hopes. There is, at some level, a changed plan or a nullified contract in the picture. We finish with the World, reversed. This is fear, and an inability to move on; in this case, from one physical location to another.

It seems that William Bradford Bishop has managed to evade capture by lying and manipulating information. When the five of swords or the five of wands appears in any reading, we can expect dishonesty somewhere in the situation at hand, but both have appeared in this reading! Bishop is probably using a different name, and probably had his name "officially" changed before the internet became a reality. It is strongly possible that those with whom he associates himself do not know the truth about him. As this reading tells it, there are only a couple of people who do know. The subject of inheritance is also broached, in a cursory fashion, via the ten of pentacles. Is there a chance that one of his enablers has passed away, and that person's assets are out of Bishop's reach? It's all an interesting question. Another piece to this puzzle is the fact that no one has demanded a verifiable backstory from Bishop, accounting for the earlier parts of his life. This may play a role in justice for his murdered family.

Erica Nicole Baker

 

Erica Nicole Baker disappeared in 1999, while walking her aunt's dog, in Kettering, Ohio. A suspect was prosecuted, but Erica has never been found. So what actually happened? 

We start with the Page of Pentacles, reversed, crossed by the King of Pentacles, which is also read reversed, here. This is a younger person with a tip or a story that is, for some reason, refuted. It is interesting to find it as the backbone of the reading. The King of Pentacles is a man who has somehow used either his power or his skill in an unethical way in connection to Erica's case. This is based by the three of pentacles, reversed. A general "aura", if you will, of not paying close attention to details, or not being very good at what one does.....either as employment or in other aspects of life.....plays a role, here, too. Then, we have the ten of swords. This is not a good card to find in a reading for a missing person. The ten of swords is a card of violence, and of violent endings, and it is a clear suggestion that Erica may have met with such a situation. 

The Page of Cups appears as someone with reliable testimony, but this testimony has yet to be heard. I am inclined to think that this is the person who, one day, finds the evidence, or finds Erica. In the meantime, the two of cups, reversed, appears to show that while one person is actually responsible for Erica's disappearance, two people participated in the cover-up. There may have been a quarrel underway at the time it happened, as well. 

The King of Wands, reversed, comes up in the place of fears. This is someone who is not likely to listen to any new information, and may be someone responsible for decisions concerning any new searches or legal actions connected to Erica's case. In the place of environment, we get the World, reversed. This is a suggestion that someone may have withheld information in this case, with ulterior motives. The Page of Swords appears as a hope, and this is a hope of hearing from someone who can testify to Erica's location and state what happened on the day she went missing. The final outcome is the Moon, reversed. Not only does this show that there has been deception in this case, but now there are practical considerations being imposed. The hope of finding Erica rests with the Page of Cups, who has not yet come into the picture. 

For a location, the three cards from the suit of pentacles, connected to the persons of interest, almost scream "earth", as in burial. Such symbolism would also take us north. But then, we have the two of cups, which tells of shallow water and takes us west. As both cards are reversed, I would not expect the direction to be very far in either direction. The World, reversed, also suggests that there was not a lot of travel. The reading suggests that Erica was taken two or three miles west, or northwest, and either buried in a very shallow grave or just abandoned. Whenever an interpretation to a reading ends this way, I always hope I am wrong, and I always hope the victim is found alive and well, in spite of the reading.  

Jonathan Shay

Jonathan Shay disappeared in July of this year from his Missouri home, along with his cousin. His cousin was found a day later, but not Jonathan. So what happened to him and where is he? I will put the question to the cards.

We start with Temperance crossed by the Moon. Temperance is a successful combination or a well planned event, and the Moon, which is read upside right, can either mean psychic awareness, deception, or secret foes. The latter seems to fit the best, here. This basis lends itself to a scenario in which the boys may have been stalked, and the perpetrator knew when to find them unsupervised, and did so. The Moon points to an agenda of some sort, hinting that Jonathan was the victim.

This is preceded by Strength, reversed, which tells a clear tale of abuse; when this card falls reversed, it often indicates abuses of power or authority, and preying on weaker individuals. Next, we have the card of secrets, the High Priestess. Since she is upside right, I will assume that she represents an aspect of this situation that is in Jonathan's favor, somehow. We are still dealing with hidden influences. This is crowned by the World, which speaks of completion of some kind, but as this is in the realm of possibility, not past or present, we shall return to it later.

The card that follows, and shows some tension in Jonathan's situation, is the three of swords, reversed. This card often comes up to describe infighting between family members, custody battles, and ugly political/personal strife within peer groups. In reversal, which is how we find the card, it warns that the subject of the reading has compromised another in some way, and there either is, or has been, a confrontation. This makes me wonder of Jonathan witnessed a crime, or saw and heard something that could have created problems for someone in his environment, had the information become known.

The first card on the staff is the Magician. Here, the Magician is someone who knows his job, and he is in the place of fears. The message is clear: someone connected to Jonathan's disappearance is worried about the presence of an expert who can do his job and find Jonathan. In the place of general environment, we find the four of pentacles, reversed. This is wasted resources and delay. Somehow, it seems almost deliberate. In the place of hopes, we find the Hermit, reversed, which gives us the message that someone has deliberately stalled the investigation by sending searchers in the wrong direction. And finally, the reading ends with the Tower. Jonathan will be found, and someone will be held accountable. Sadly, the Tower does not predict a very happy ending, either for Jonathan or the perpetrator. This is what I read as a very strong possibility that Jonathan has met with foul play---the accountability described by the Tower. I always hope I am wrong about that type of assessment, however. Possible locations appear, via the Moon and the High Priestess, to be places where there is water; enough water to hide evidence. The World suggests that he will be found, possibly outside. Because of its position, we are being warned that the resolution of this case will not be handed to searchers and investigators; it will only come after efforts. The other clue about whereabouts has to do with the situation of a person: the four of pentacles reversed tells us that someone connected to this case has recently suffered a setback or a material loss. This is someone who should be interviewed.

Jacob Wetterling

Jacob Wetterling disappeared in October of 1989 in Minnesota, when he was eleven years old. His parents were visiting friends, and had given Jacob and his brother permission to ride their bicycles. A stranger took Jacob at gunpoint, and that was the last time he was seen by family or friends. Recently, detectives in Minnesota developed a lead on the case, and I will ask the Tarot about what happened to Jacob.

We begin with the eight of wands, reversed, crossed by the five of swords, also read reversed here. Whoa! The arrows of jealousy mixed up with vengeance and rage. This describes the circumstances that somehow led to this crime and warns of a violent personality on the part of the perpetrator. It is based by the Emperor, reversed, telling us a little more about the perpetrator; not only is he given to spurts of violence, he is immature in the ways of the world, and possibly lived with his parents at the time Jacob went missing.

In the past, we see the Page of Cups, who, I believe, is Jacob. This would be an imaginative young person whose nature is kind and helpful. He falls upside right, so he is not part of the problem, here, but either a victim or part of the solution. Pages often indicate children in readings. Next, we encounter the Magician, reversed, and he describes the general lack of direction from which this case has suffered. It seems that leads have been difficult to follow, and no one expected a child to disappear near Jacob's home, therefore; law enforcement did not have much training for such tragedies. But now, in the near future, we have the three of wands, granting local police assistance and practical help from other departments. Perhaps the new lead will shed some light.

In the place of self perception, we find the Queen of Swords, reversed. This is an adult woman who has had information about Jacob and his whereabouts for many years, yet has refused to come forward. She is obstructing justice, and has no empathy for anyone connected to Jacob. The environment is described by the nine of cups, reversed. This card not only speaks of flaws in plans when it falls reversed; it warns of alcoholism and drug addiction. It points to excesses of food and drink. Seeing it in this position tells us that addiction is likely part of the picture in the perpetrator's life. In the place of hopes, we find the four of cups, reversed. From this, we can see that the perpetrator is hoping to "get on with his life", and simply skip any accountability for Jacob's disappearance. Reversed, the four of cups signifies new relationships and new opportunities. But this is only a hope; it is what the guilty party is attempting. The final outcome gives us the four of pentacles reversed. This is a warning of setbacks and material loss. The case is far from solved, and it will take time and commitment.

The only part of the reading that indicates death is the beginning; the reversed eight of wands, crossed by the five of swords. From this, I feel that Jacob probably died at the hands of his kidnapper almost immediately. It also appears that Jacob was taken somewhere by car, and either left or buried somewhere that has posts, possibly three posts (as in, the three of wands) sticking up from the ground. There may be a small cliff, ravine, or ditch that would help hide him. I also believe that the perpetrator's family helped him hide his crime, all these years. I always hope I am wrong when it looks as if someone has been murdered, so I will keep hoping and praying that Jacob is found safe.

Update On The Hoggle Children

It has been over a year since two toddlers, Jacob and Sarah Hoggle, of Montgomery County, Maryland, were last seen in the company of their mother. Their mother is the main suspect in their disappearance, and has been ruled incompetent by the court, and thereby held in a mental hospital. Efforts to find the children have been completely frustrated.

So for an update, I just asked the question, "Where are they?" Here is what I got. For the past in this situation, I drew three cards; the ace of swords, reversed, the Hanged Man, reversed, and the seven of cups, also reversed. The ace of swords is screaming obstacles and abuse, which is already self evident. The Hanged Man is reversed, and he wants us to know that there has been some false information floated into the media and into evidence, in an effort to keep the investigation from going in the right direction. As we can see that the card of imagination and delusion, the seven of cups, has fallen reversed here, it is obvious that the aforementioned false information has been generated deliberately, rather than by accident.

The present has given us the four of cups, reversed, the five of swords, reversed, and the seven of pentacles. The reversed four of cups is usually a good message, of new relationships and pursuits, but here, it is a bot troubling. It speaks of a desire to leave the two missing children "in the past", and "get on with life" without them! Without ever solving the crime. The five of swords is here next, reversed. This is guilty knowledge and trickery. This card often comes up reversed when there is a lot of deception in a matter, especially about violence and violent crime. The seven of pentacles is next, telling us that someone here has only "done his or her job", and the unsolved crime is, indeed, the ripe fruit on the tree that is being reaped.

In the future, we see the ten of swords, the Empress, reversed, and the five of pentacles. The ten of swords is often a card of violence, but I believe the message here is that the future will actually bring closure, perhaps an unwelcome closure, to this case. The one who has sown deceit and non-resolution will have to work with those who want to find Sarah and Jacob. The Empress reversed is a mother who does not behave like a mother, and whose "love", if it may be called that, is shallow. The last card is the five of cups. This card, as a location, would, at face value, suggest a church. Other ideas, especially interpreted in relation to the presence of the reversed Empress, suggest a place that is sacred, in traditional ways, to the person indicated by the Empress.....or......the "mother" figure, here. We have bits of water symbolism here and there, in the Hanged Man and the cards from the suit of cups. The type of scene indicated by these cards gives a collective picture of a stream fed or river fed pond, one that is not terribly big, but big enough to hide something. Yet the earth symbolism is also compelling, as in the seven of pentacles and the five of pentacles. Based on this reading, answers or evidence would appear to start somewhere between five or seven miles away from where the Empress was last seen with either child, moving north or northeast, as indicated by swords. No cameras and enough privacy to remain hidden. The reversed Hanged Man seems to point us not only to a place, but to a motive; this card speaks of selfishness and refusal to make any necessary sacrifice when we see it reversed.