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Not to date myself, but I remember when we didn't have answering machines. Now I let almost everything go to voice mail. Before though, I had to stop and decide if I wanted to answer the phone. I can see some of you scratching your heads...what on earth does an answering machine or lack thereof have to do with Tarot? Well, sometimes I do that with my Tarot readings too. I just let my inner answering machine take over.

There are cards in the tarot that, for me, have instant meanings. Those are the ones that are so embedded in my brain that they seem automatic. But that may not be the best answer for my querent. They may require a bit more than a rote Tarot reading. So sometimes I like to turn my brain upside down so I can't do the auto-answer. I yank myself out of that Tarot rut I can sometimes get into when I'm doing endless readings.

It's not fair to my client. They don't know I had three people before them asking similar questions. They aren't to blame for my reaction. But I cannot drop into automatic mode. I have to prevent my inner answering machine from picking up.

Here are just two ways to kick yourself out of the "that always means" rote reading technique. I'd love to hear your own if you have some as well.

1. Odd Fellows

By using a deck I'm not familiar with, I have to back up and take another look. I've been loving two self-published decks lately that really force me to let go of the automatic and search out the intuitive answer.

From the Wild Unknown Tarot, this Six of Swords is not your typical dude rowing a boat. Nor is the image of Scathach as the Six of Air from the Dark Goddess one I can immediately see the "moving from troubled times to calmer places" meaning I have tattooed into my brain.

I have to stop. I have to become more present in my Tarot reading.

When I put the two with the Rider Smith Waite (Radiant) Six of Swords, I see color similarities immediately. In a way, my desire to let go of the old meanings for the new is represented by the meaning of this card.

2. Same Old, Same Old

June’s shadow card is the 8 of Cups, shown here from the new Tarot Illuminati by Erik C. Dunne and Kim Huggens.  Here we have a figure, cloaked in red, with his back to us walking away from 8 cups stacked behind him.  Red is the color of passion indicating that this person is passionate about their pursuits.  There are 5 cups on the left and 3 on the right and it appears as though the cups are empty but in truth we do not know if they are or if they have something in them.  If they are full, perhaps he is leaving them behind because they no longer work for him, if they are empty he may be feeling that his life is empty and he is leaving them in search of fulfillment.  He uses a cane to assist him as he walks in a wintry scene though a doorway between very large rocks towards what appears to be a stairway to the moon.  

The 8 of Cups is about going on a quest in some form or another, walking away from a job, a relationship, a belief system, or any other situation, positive or negative, and is often about leaving something good in order to find something even better.  Sometimes the quest is about finding yourself, of looking deep inside to discover those hidden things that you are finally ready to face.  A quest can be about leaving the past behind you so you can move on to better things, or leaving behind emotions that no longer serve you.  

The Magician from the Snowland Deck

You’ve just put down yet another Harry Potter book, relishing the time spent among wizards, house elves and boggarts. Or maybe you’ve had the privilege of watching Criss Angel’s live show, BeLIEve, at the Luxor in Vegas, or reserve a front seat on your couch every week to watch his TV show Mindfreak. Alternatively, you may be a fan of the beloved Oz books by L. Frank Baum, or an avid devotee of the Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland.