Brandon Victor Swanson

Brandon Victor Swanson disappeared after leaving the home of a friend in Marshall, Minnesota. His car was found near Taunton, Minnesota. After experiencing car problems, he spoke briefly with his father via cell phone, which is how his car was located, but no one can find Brandon. Someone asked me if I would do a reading for him, so I will give it my best.

This reading begins with the Knight of Cups, reversed, crossed by the two of pentacles, which is also read reversed, here. When the Knight of Cups falls reversed, there is always trickery involved, as this is usually an untrustworthy man in his early twenties. His presence is followed up by the reversed two of pentacles, which points to forced, or simulated calm. At face value, it looks as if Brandon was carjacked and told to tell his father he was okay, when he really wasn't. But let's look further.

Another court card appears to lend some background information; the King of Pentacles, reversed. This would be a man who is older than the Knight of Cups, and I would expect him to have darker hair than the Knight of Cups and a darker complexion. He falls reversed here, and since his suit is pentacles, this points to a man who misuses his assets and, possibly, gambles. So we have two unknown people who might know what happened to Brandon.

The next card is also a court card; it is the King of Cups. As this card falls upside right, meaning that he is friend, not foe; I am inclined to identify him as Brandon's father. He is the last known person to have spoken with Brandon. This is followed by the Page of Pentacles, reversed. This leads me to believe that Brandon did not simply "disappear"; there was foul play involved. This page heralds bad news, and often theft, when reversed. Temperance comes up next; reiterating the message of competing interests and bad combinations. I would also venture a guess that Brandon either saw or heard something that could have compromised one or both of the men, the knight and the king.

The first card on the staff, describing problems connected to finding Brandon, is the seven of wands. This card tells of things that are guarded; secrets, homes, property, the like. The message here is that Brandon has not been found because he is either on private property, or somewhere bordering private property. Someone has deliberately impeded the search. The next card, showing environment, is Justice. This shows us that law enforcement still has an interest in finding Brandon, and if outworn ideas are scrapped in favor of trying new, Brandon can and will be found. It is quite likely that this will involve a search warrant, however. This is followed by the six of swords, which is a card of travel. The six of swords has appeared in the place of desires, and is a wish on the part of someone involved. The nine of pentacles is the last card, and it is a card of solitary enjoyment of property. This supports what we have seen in the seven of wands, by which we were told that private property and the need for a search warrant is pertinent. It is also a suggestion to look near or in a garden or flowerbed, or a small vegetable garden, near a house.

The pentacles and cups in this reading take us north and west, as directions. Fourteen is the number of the Temperance card; that is a likely number miles that should be covered. I found myself drawn to the small sun on the Temperance card; "sun" may be an actual, physical symbol here, such as part of the name of road or a place. Perhaps the name of a town that is somehow sun-related, or the name of a business. Somehow, this symbol is meant to give us a clue.

I always wish I had better news when I do a reading like this one. I will keep hoping for the best.

Why Is Terri Horman Speaking After Five Years?

Terri Horman, former stepmother of missing Kyron Horman, the second grader who disappeared from his school in Portland, Oregon, in 2010, has opted to grant an interview to People Magazine, after five years of silence. She has been a person of interest in Kyron's case since the summer of 2010, and has failed at least two polygraphs. She now insists that she was not involved in Kyron's disappearance. But why wait five years to address the media? Let's ask the Tarot.

This reading begins with the Page of Cups, crossed by the ten of swords. The Page of Cups is a young person, who probably has not had much experience in life, and has some idealistic notions that border on dilettantism. This person has also had an influence on Terri, and may be the one who convinced Terri to speak publicly. Judging from the shadow cast by the ten of swords, I am going to guess that this was a huge mistake; on the part of the Page of Cups, and on the part of Terri Horman. The ten of swords speaks to things that end in ruin.

In the distant past, we have the Tower, reversed. This describes oppression and imprisonment, and Terri Horman has stated that she does, in fact, see her life that way. Moving along to the not so distant past, we have the two of wands. This card tells of an effort to manage one's affairs, and control one's house. Terri wants to take control of her situation, and up until now, she has not had control. Her other goal, as shown in the next card, the ace of swords, reversed, is to overpower the negative press she has received from law enforcement, Kyron's family, and Kyron's supporters. This is still not within her reach.

The next card we get is the King of Swords, reversed. This is a powerful, middle aged or older man. As he falls reversed, I would expect him to be adversarial to Terri, almost to the point of becoming unjust. Her opinion, anyway, will be that he is unjust. The King of Swords is often involved in law or law enforcement, and Terri can bet her bottom dollar that someone involved in those fields is listening to every word she says. This king has had enough of waiting patiently for Kyron's case to resolve.

The first card on the staff is the ten of wands, reversed. This tells us that Terri feels that her separation from her youngest child, Kiara Horman, who was only a baby when Kyron disappeared, is unjust. She is rightly concerned that she will never have an actual relationship with her daughter. The next card, describing the surroundings and environment, is the seven of swords. This is the act of taking something that does not belong to one, or of attempting to declare something "finished" when it is not. Once again, the control Terri wants to exert is not within her grasp. The next card, in the place of Terri's fears, is the King of Pentacles, reversed. This is a man who is talented in business, but uses his talents for abusive or dishonest purposes. Right here, I drew another card, asking what this king's role in Terri's affairs would be, and I got Judgement, reversed. Upside right, Judgement tells of renewal, and resolution. Since the card has fallen reversed, it describes a man who does not actually want those things for Kyron Horman's case. The last card is the six of cups, reversed. This card sees Terri clinging to the past. Not only is Terri clinging to outworn sentimentality; there is property and money to which she would like to cling.

So there we have it. Terri wants control of her involvement in Kyron Horman's missing persons investigation, and she wants to regain property and other odds and ends from her past. I could not help but notice that nothing in the reading suggested that she might be trying to find Kyron.

Is Kyron Safe Somewhere?

Here is a comment that came to me yesterday: "Looks like the ex-stepmother has finally decided to speak out and give an interview. Is Kyron safe somewhere?" The question has tugged at many hearts over the past five and a half years, since Kyron Horman disappeared from his second grade class at Skyline Elementary in Portland, Oregon. The question now deserves a closer look.

This reading starts with the three of swords, crossed by the nine of pentacles, which, in this case, is read reversed. When the three of swords falls reversed, it often indicates, in addition to infighting and strife, a meeting with someone who has been compromised by the subject. The nine of pentacles, when reversed, tells of voided projects, lost friendships, and sometimes, the loss of family or home. This seems consistent with the situation of Terri Horman, Kyron's former stepmother. Beneath this, we get the Page of Swords, reversed. This refers to a factor in the past, and the Page of Swords reversed often shows unpleasant surprises, for which someone involved is not prepared. People and circumstances did not proceed the way the perpetrator had expected.

Another card describing past events is the Fool, reversed. This is telling us that bad choices, and bad decisions were made, perhaps in relation to the events foreshadowed by the Page of Swords. Kyron's disappearance was planned, because someone had been compromised by him, and something went completely wrong. The person responsible for the crime did not have a reliable "Plan B".

The possible future shows us the World, which is an encouraging card to see here. This card foretells success and triumph. On more basic levels, it can also tell of travel. It is followed by the Queen of Pentacles, and as she falls upside right, I will assume, for the time being, that she is friend, not foe. She is an adult female who values security, particularly financial security, and stability. Her symbols are related to Earth; farming, ripe fruit, agriculture. I would expect her to have an olive complexion and dark hair and eyes. Her presence, is as of yet, unexplained.

The first card on the staff is the three of pentacles. This is the card of the craftsman; the job well done. Sometimes, it also describes a person or a family...it indicates wealth. It is in the place of self image and fears, and shows a fear of these elements. Is someone afraid that money will talk louder than blood or justice? The next card, in the place of environment and personal connections, is the Queen of Wands, reversed. I think this is a rather obvious reference, but I will go ahead and describe the character on this court card, anyways. The Queen of Wands is often blond, or red headed. She is passionate and active when upside right, but when she falls reversed, as she has here, she is jealous and cruel. Yes, this is the person who can tell us exactly where to find Kyron. The next card is Strength, reversed, which speaks to abused authority. The Queen of Wands took it upon herself to do something she did not have the legal or personal right to do, yet others thought that she did! She took advantage.....

The last card in the reading is the King of Pentacles. This is a man who, like his counterpart, the Queen of Pentacles, enjoys stability and security. I would expect him to look like his Queen, olive with dark hair and eyes. Also like the Queen of Pentacles, he falls upright, so it can be deduced that he is friend, not foe. A lot depends on him, here. He has control of the situation right now. Once again, like all of the readings I have done for Kyron in the past, his death has not been detailed. I also find it very interesting that two court cards from the same suit, pentacles, have appeared in present and future positions in this reading. This aspect, in addition to the World, would suggest very strongly that the answer to this question is yes, Kyron is somewhere safe. I hope that I am right.....it is possible that I have missed something, it is possible that my wishful thinking interfered.....but that is my interpretation of this reading.

With each passing day, a missing persons case gets more difficult for law enforcement to solve. In a case involving a stranger who either kidnaps an adult or a child, if the stranger intends to kill the victim, this usually happens within the first three hours. Kyron has been missing for over five years. If, as the reading suggests, he is still with us, he is not a seven year old anymore. He would be thirteen, and his appearance would be very different. If you know anything about Kyron's current whereabouts, will you please call the number on the poster above, and let someone know?

Jonathan Shay Is Still Missing

Jonathan Shay, who disappeared in July of last year, still has not been found. I was asked to do an updated reading, and this time, I am going to see if I can just hone in on possible locations. It has been much too long for a thirteen year old boy to be missing. Anyone who has seen Jonathan in person, or has information about his whereabouts should contact their local police or the FBI.

Grrr....this basis of this reading is the six of wands, reversed, (enemies and bad news) crossed by the ace of pentacles, also read reversed, which is monetary corruption and ill-gotten gains. The message is already troubling, and we are only two cards into the reading. As a foundation to this situation, we find the magician, reversed. This is someone who used a skill, and quite likely Jonathan's trust, for abusive purposes. Moving along to another card describing events in the past, we have the ten of swords, which I do not like at all in this position. This is a card of endings, often sad or violent endings. But we will corroborate this with the other cards.

As a possible future event, we see the two of wands. This tells us that there are some people close to Jonathan's case who have not given up on finding him, and are still looking for him. At this point, details that would seem insignificant, along with obvious clues, are very important. The next card is the ten of wands, reversed. Here, we have not only separation and loss, but separation through duplicity; this sheds light on the reversed Magician. Somehow, the person represented by the Magician has had an opportunity to lie in person to investigators.

The first card on the staff, describing, in this case, the lies told to Jonathan, is the four of wands. He was promised a happy adventure. What actually happened is the Chariot, reversed. This is perversion, collapsed plans, and sometimes revenge. On mundane levels, this card sometimes refers to vehicles. Perhaps a Mercury Cougar.........as it has fallen reversed, I would expect the car to have mechanical problems or to have sat, stationary, for a while. Temperance reversed is the next card. This tells of unfortunate mixes, such as bad friendships or the mixture of bad business associates and friends. Perhaps it is merely a friendship that involved individuals who are not compatible, but this aspect has somehow played a role. The nine of swords is the last card. This is not only a card of worry, but when it falls reversed, it tells of imprisonment of some kind or other. I think it is possible that the whoever was involved in Jonathan's disappearance is already in legal trouble.

Honing in on location: the abundant presence of swords in this reading points us first to the east, then we are also pointed south by wands. I keep coming back to the Chariot....not only in its more spiritual meaning, but its literal and mundane meaning. Finding a vehicle that was connected to this incident will yield some evidence, and it is a vehicle that is not terribly reliable and has probably sat, neglected, for a time. Perhaps the owner isn't even in a position to retrieve it. But it must be located. All the speculation in the world will not take the place of solid evidence.

I always hope I am wrong when an interpretation such as this is apparent. I will keep hoping and praying that I am this, time, too. In the meantime, I hope Jonathan is found; no child should be missing this long.

Who Might Know About Alissia Freeman?

The question about the Page of Swords, in my last reading, about Alissia Freeman, has been asked. Who is this person, and how does this person relate to Alissia's situation? Alissia disappeared on December 13, while allegedly taking out trash after cleaning up her room, and has not been seen since. So I will ask the Tarot to hone in on this hint that was dropped in the last reading.

We start with the ten of wands, crossed by the five of cups. A moment of power has been used unwisely, here, by someone. Also, another impression I get from the ten of wands is that there was a proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." The five of cups, crossing it, is read reversed this time, meaning that an old friend, but in a friendship bearing a newly defined context, has somehow offered hopeful expectations. This caper was planned, as we can see via the three of wands, reversed, beneath this. The three of wands shows a planned, cooperate effort, and reversed, it show an underhanded effort. The Emperor follows this. He is the "father figure" of the Tarot, and as he falls upright, I will assume, for the moment, that he means Alissia no harm. Something that bothers me a bit, though, is that a possibility abuse of authority is referenced by Strength, reversed, following the Emperor. The next card is the Queen of Pentacles, and she is in the very near future of this situation. She is someone with a lot of skill, and she uses her skills very well. She is part of the effort to find Alissia.

Back to the contributions of the aforementioned Page of Swords.......We find the Hermit, reversed, in the place of fears. This does not help very much with a physical description, but it describes a person who is immature for his age, and refuses to take age appropriate responsibility or, otherwise, grow up. As for looks, I would look for a young man in late teens or early twenties with brown hair and eyes. The card that tells us of the Page's opinion of himself is the Hanged Man. He thinks that he has a "connection" to matters that are "spiritual", and uses this to manipulate others. In reality, he is more of a perpetual "Peter Pan" type. The nine of wands appears in his hopes, and this tells us that he is impatient and unable to manage stress. The last card, Justice reversed, tells us that he has had some issues of his own with our justice system. A word of warning, however; is that when this card falls reversed near the Hanged Man, which it has in this reading, it is a good idea to tread carefully and not be too severe. A lot could be lost by impulsive severity, and the hope is to bring Alissia home safely.

Myra Alissia Freeman

Myra Alissia Freeman was taking out the trash one evening at her home in Alabama, where she lives with her parents. She is seventeen years old, and the back story, along with the sheriff's contact information, is on the poster. But what happened, and where is she?

The basis is the seven of wands, reversed, crossed by Temperance. The seven of wands usually refers to something left unguarded when it falls reversed, and it speaks to loss, and the embarrassment that follows loss; as if one should have known better. Temperance shows good combinations and management. Beneath this, we have the eight of pentacles, reversed. The eight of pentacles is the card of the apprentice, but as Alissia was only seventeen, we can probably safely assume that this refers to schooling. As it falls reversed, it shows stresses, or problems, in that area. So we are given school stresses as a backdrop.

Following this, but still in the recent past, we have the four of wands, reversed. This is completed harvest and the chance to relax after hard work, and that is what it means in either the reversed or upright position. Reversed sometimes suggests that while things are not perfect, things are still pretty good. A possible outcome is the seven of pentacles, reversed, which I do not like. The seven of pentacles is the reaping of the fruits of one's labor when it falls upside right, but in reversal, it means the opposite: wasted efforts with no reward. This is a suggestion that Alissia may not be found immediately. The next card, in the near future, is Death. While the card can foretell a death, it is much more common for this card to tell us about a major change in someone's life, or in a situation. So far, I have not seen any violence in this reading that would have caused a death.

In the place of fears, we have the four of pentacles, which is a fear of waste, or a fear of not having enough money. I am actually happy to see this card in this position, as it relates to things that are on Alissia's mind. The next card is the Page of Swords, reversed. This page is in the place of environment, and is a young person who probably knows exactly where Alissia can be found. As the card has come up reversed, it suggests spying and lying, which is how this young person helped Alissia disappear. In the place of hopes, we have the Empress. This is the "mother" card of the Tarot, and as she appears upside right, we can assume that the mother in the situation, Alissia's mother, is her ally, here. This is also something that is on Alissia's mind. The final card is Justice, reversed, which worries me a bit. When Justice falls reversed in a reading, it usually warns that an authoritative decision somewhere along the line will be made, and it will impede progress. This could mean several things. First, it could be telling us that the police will determine that Alissia "ran away", and since she is seventeen, they will not realize that runaways are in just as much danger as kidnapping victims, and close her case. Or it could warn us that someone with whom Alissia is spending time could become paranoid or unjust in some way, and harm Alissia...or it could mean that law enforcement simply looks in all the wrong places and does not have any solid leads. I hate to see this card reversed as a final outcome.

As for location, Death would point us north. The item on the card that caught my eye is his flag, bearing the white, mystic rose. Could Alissia have ended up in a place that has "rose" in it's name? The four of pentacles also points us north, but the card is reversed, so perhaps things are stalled. The Page of Swords would use east as a direction, but he is also reversed, but the transformation of Death clearly shows that Alissia has traveled enough to dramatically change her situation. It appears, by this reading, that while she is in danger, it is not too late for rescue. I hope she is found soon.

Mary Georgine Lang

 

 Mary Georgine Lang disappeared in 1983, while running errands for her boss, a local attorney. Some of her personal effects, along with her car, were found a few days later, but Mary Lang is still missing. I have laid a horoscope spread for her reading.

In the first house, we find the three of cups. Normally, this card comes up to tell everyone that all is well, however; in this case, we must look at its alternative meaning, which refers to quick endings. The nature of the type of relationship represented by this card is often romantic, but other friendships can also be described. The four of swords comes up in the second house. This is a very different message from the first house card. The second house governs money and possession; it appears that Mary's money "went dormant", or "froze", after she disappeared. Somehow, this played a role in the big picture. House number three, governing communication, relatives, and short journeys, gives us the eight of cups. This tells us that very shortly after Mary disappeared, the whole effort that was put into her disappearance was abandoned. So whatever this was all about was a failure. In the fourth house, we have the four of wands, telling us that Mary's home environment had some sort of protection......it ties in a bit with the four of swords we saw in the second house, connected to her finances.

The fifth house, of sex appeal, creativity, and children, shows Death, reversed. Once again, the message is that the sought-after asset here has been "frozen", or was never in Mary's possession in the first place. In the sixth house, health, work relationships, and mundane everyday matters, we get the Knight of Wands, reversed. The type of man usually described here is a jealous one, with a violent temper. His position in Mary's work relationships is interesting; this is definitely where he found a connection to her. The seventh house gives us the three of swords. The seventh house governs marriage and partnerships, and the three of swords often appears to describe a divorce, or in-fighting within a family. These elements played a role in Mary's disappearance. 

In the eighth house, governing legacies, wills, and death, we have the Hermit. This speaks directly to the reality that Mary is missing, and must be found in order discover what actually happened to her. Since the Hermit falls upside right, we can count on resolution, one day. The ninth house, of long journeys, law, the "establishment", and long-held beliefs, bears the five of swords, reversed. This is not a very nice card to see here, because it screams "violence" and "revenge". Also, since the ninth house is connected to law, often civil law, it takes us back to possible connections to Mary's employer. House number ten, of career ambitions and social status, back this up with the Page of Pentacles, reversed. It looks as if someone had either stalked Mary on the day she disappeared, or given information about her whereabouts and vulnerabilities to someone with bad intentions. In the eleventh house, of hopes, wishes, and friends, we have the three of pentacles, reversed. This is very telling. This points almost directly to a "friend" who did not like the way Mary handled something connected to her employment! Almost as if this "friend" wanted Mary to manipulate a legal matter, or violate a law, as a "favor", and was disappointed! In the twelfth house, of secrets, secret enemies, and self undoing, we find the six of wands, in the reversed position. This is the successful advance of an enemy. Also, a "message", of sorts. As for location, the eight of cups suggests possibly eight miles to the west, but as it falls reversed, this locations may have been reconsidered or changed. The five of swords in the ninth house bears a suggestion of east as a direction, but once again, the card is reversed. It appears that whoever hid evidence did a certain amount of backtracking and redistributing. One of the alternative meanings of the five of swords has to do with "storms ahead", but storm clouds are not unusual in Kansas! It's possible that we are being directed to a location that has "storm", "cloud", or "stormcloud" as part of its name. Or a place that has a name like "tornado" or "cyclone". The suggestion of the reversed six of wands in the twelfth house would be "six" to the south, but as it is reversed, north ended up being more important. Other symbols to look for are crosses, laurel, and bright flowers on vines. She is not very far from a church.

Murders Of Patricia Smith And Patricia Magers

Here's a cold case from Wichita, Kansas, from 1992. Patricia Smith and Patricia Magers were both shot to death in the bridal shop where they worked. A composite sketch of the suspect appears on the poster, above, but no one was ever arrested and brought to justice in this case. Let's see what the Tarot can tell  us.

I used a horoscope spread for this reading, and while I shuffled, the Knight of Wands fell out, reversed, so the descriptions of a suspect with reddish hair in 1992 are apt; however the first house in this reading has given us the Knight of Pentacles, and the second house has given us the Knight of Cups. These two houses represent personality and financial prospects, respectively, so what are two knights doing here? Also, these knight fall upside right, describing them as part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. The Knight of Pentacles is methodical and moves slowly, going through everything with a fine toothed comb. The Knight of Cups is more expressive about his feelings, and may be a spokesperson for the local police. He is often a messenger of sorts. He is still hopeful that the suspect can be found. In the third house, we find the Empress. The third house is about letters, communication, short journeys, and relatives; the Empress is the "mother" card in the Tarot. We have a suspect who has used a woman, either his own mother, his childrens' mother, or a woman who has children who are not connected to him, as a "front". He has probably retreated to her home, and she is probably unaware of his pastimes. Look for her, also, to have reddish hair and a complexion similar to his. This is backed up by the fourth card, in the place of home environment, which is the nine of cups.....the card of home environment! This suspect is completely unworried about getting caught.

The fifth house, the house of sex appeal and pleasure, gives us the Queen of Pentacles. This is an adult female; brunette and possibly with brown eyes, with whom the suspect has had a romantic relationship. She is not, as of yet, connected to his life of crime, but she represents the prototype of his victims...mostly brunettes! House number six, work relationships and everyday matters, gives us the King of Cups, reversed. As an employee and as a neighbor, this man is dishonest and twisted; he has a perverse sense of entitlement.
The seven of pentacles appears reversed in the seventh house, of marriage and partnerships. This suspect has probably been divorced at least once, and has lost income or property he considers rightfully his because of it. In the eighth house, of death, transitions, and legacies, we have the Moon. This clearly points to imagination, and the suspect almost feeling that by targeting a certain "type", brunette females, he can "regain" something. Almost as if he thinks he is "owed" something.

In the ninth house, the house of long journeys and the "establishment", and relationships thereof, we have the six of swords, reversed. This is very interesting, because it indicates that wherever this killer is, currently, he is not doing much travel. His home, or his stomping grounds, are probably in the same part of the Midwest as Patricia Smith and Patricia Mager's homes had been. He has even used this as a strategy. Also, look for him to be on probation for other types of crime. The tenth card, in the house of career ambitions and social status, is the seven of cups. This person has a vivid imagination about his own abilities, and has never really applied himself to a stable type of gainful employment. Those who know him are well aware of this. The eleventh house, of hopes, wishes, friends, and hobbies, shows us the ten of pentacles. Somehow, the suspect has either inherited, or by some other means, acquired a large amount of money or property which he did not earn. In the twelfth house, of secrets, secret enemies, and self undoing, we have the ten of cups. So far, this suspect has gotten away with everything he has done. Kansas authorities are not really hopeful that they will find him, either, especially if he is related to someone in the community who is enabling and protecting him. His mistake will be in thinking that his enablers will remain perpetually interested in enabling him.