Table of Contents

Tarot Reflections

  April 15, 2003

Debbie Lake is a cranky, opinionated Tarotholic who was born and bred in Hell's Kitchen, NYC. She has been married for 15 years (which explains the crankiness) and just loves working with Tarot, reading and driving friends and family crazy with her know-it-all-ness. Visit her at her website at http://www.geocities.com/ beachbanrion/born (note this link did not function when checked 1/15/2004)

(This is a photo of Debb with the Strength card from the 1910 RWS deck purchased on eBay by Stuart Kaplan. Taken at the Chicago World Tarot Congress.)

DL: What did you find most appealing about Tarot cards? And were you able to read with it right away?

DW: Well...I wasn't able to read with the first deck I bought without using the LWB. And Eden Gray didn't help me, either, the second time around. But when I found Tarot for Your Self, it opened me up completely.

DL: What did you find most useful about TFYS?

DW: The interactive nature of the book. And that I didn't have to learn 78 cards at once. And to work with the image first and foremost, and learn to trust my intuition along with using a book. There is no question in my mind that Tarot for Your Self was my bridge to the tarot, and I might never have crossed without it.

DL: Did you use another deck with TFYS? Or were you using the Marseilles style deck?

DW: I had bought Barbara Walker's Tarot and really liked it. I had intended to get the RWS, but I hated the colors, and I loved the Barbara Walker colors. Now I look at those images and cringe, but then, I really liked it! That was the deck I worked with as I went through TFYS. Of course, the more I worked with the images, the more horrified I became with some of them. The Princess of Swords with the vagina dentitis, Kali as the Queen of Swords... But I worked with it for about a year.

DL: How quickly did you begin adding new decks?

DW: You know, I don't remember. I bought a lot of books right away though.

DL: What types of books?

DW: Tarot books. I bought all of Mary's books as they came out, Amber Jayanti's book...I think I bought like ten or eleven books fairly quickly once I found TFYS.

DL: How long did it take you to begin reading for others?

DW: I started reading for others really quickly. Because I had read for many years with the Gypsy Witch deck, I had an established comfort level.

DW: One thing the GW deck did for me was it taught me to understand cards in combination, that was an essential part of that deck. So I was very comfortable working with the Celtic Cross, for example. I could read with multiple cards right away. And tell a cohesive story, because I did it from the age of ten!

DL: How long before you were comfortable charging others for readings?

DW: I tried out for an indoors "psychic fair" in New Hope, PA about six or seven years after I started working with the cards in earnest. And I felt very unsure if I should, because I had only been working with the cards for seven years. Ironic, as many people start with much less experience now. It's because online e-lists have really escalated the opportunity for learning. I'm a bit jealous--I had to learn on my own, for the most part.

DL: How did you come to be webmistress of Tarot Passages?

DW: Now, there's a story. As you know, the site was originally Michele's Tarot Page, pioneered by Michele Jackson. I met Michele when a friend and I organized a workshop with Mary Greer (there's that name again!). We became friends right away, and I started to read her website. When I found typos or errors in a review, I let her know and blithely offered to edit any she wrote. Did I know she wrote at least one a week? NO! I edited the site for several years. When she came to her five-year anniversary of hosting the site, she decided for various reasons it was time to pass the site on. At first I thought I didn't want to do it, but when she mentioned other names I realized I had become attached to the site through the work I had done (I had also contributed a few reviews, etc.). I didn't want someone else to do the site without my having any input. So I volunteered to take it and the rest is history.

DL: I would imagine it takes a lot of work to maintain Tarot Passages. How much time and effort do you put into it?

DW: I can't count the hours I put into the site...but it's between a part-time and full-time job in terms of hours. Michele used to be able to write several reviews at a time, but if I write two reviews in one day, it's a miracle. Tarot Passages is my obsession in some ways. I still edit old reviews when I find errors (and I always do!). Even when I take a hiatus, I work on reviews.

DL: How do you handle negative reactions from people whose work has been reviewed - or negative comments about the site?

DW: When I hear from people who don't like a review, I understand how they feel...I've been in writer's groups and don't much like criticism myself. Though I appreciate constructive criticism...sorta, kinda...in retrospect. I explain my position to artists and writers who have issues with my reviews as best I can. If someone is really rude, I just ignore him or her. As for criticisms of the site...I don't hear too many of them, thank goodness. I watched Michele deal masterfully with people for the years she had the website and I have tried to adopt her attitude--if someone doesn't like the site, there are other resources for that person to utilize. And I've held on to almost all of her policies. The only difference is I am now an Amazon associate, which she was not. She felt it was more important to encourage people to support local stores, and I agree with her in principle. But I could not afford to maintain the site without some income from it

DL: What other interests do you have and how do they impact on your Tarot work and vice versa?

DW: One of my great interests is literature and story. I have a Master's degree in English and, even though I was a very bad student, I always loved to read. When I created Storyteller Tarot, it was a way to merge those loves. And, as a (tarot) reader, I try to tell the story of the cards as a whole, as well as individual card stories. I am also passionate about music, and have devised lists of songs that correlate to the various cards. I am very interested in psychology and spirituality, and my approach to the tarot is primarily through those apertures.

DL: What would you say had the single greatest impact on your Tarot experience?

DW: Reading Tarot for Your Self was a big one. It was like getting the keys to the highway (as Bruce Springsteen described learning the guitar). The book unlocked the tarot for me. And the tarot unlocked so much in my own life. I really feel the tarot is a tool for healing on every level. It has been that tool for me. And continues to be.

But I’d have to say working with Arnell Ando on the Storyteller Tarot was also very impactful (if there is such a word). Another healing experience on numerous levels. And writing the book—twice—was very influential.

DL: What are your Tarot pet peeves?

DW: LOLOL

DW: Dogma disguised as verity. People who insist that intuition is the only way, and people who insist that scholarship is the only way. People who use the tarot as a weapon to impress others, in whatever form. That includes disempowering people, of course.

DL: What advice would you give to a Tarot newbie?

DW: Go to Tarot Passages, of course! Just kidding! Mostly. I would find out what the novice wanted the tarot for, and recommend books, decks, avenues that applied to that desire. I've learned not to assume that everyone wants to use the tarot for the same reasons I do...and my reasons have changed significantly since I picked up that Gypsy Witch deck 30 some odd years ago.

Subscribe to Tarot Reflections, and receive notification of each update!

Request to be added to the list by sending email to TarotReflections-subscribe@yahoogroups.com!