"Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise. I rise. I rise. Dr. Maya Angelou

TAROT: Daughter of Knives / Lenormand: Sun, Letter, Fox / ADINKRA: Nsaa

The other day, I did a YouTube Sunday Conversation on my channel (also called In the Company of Cards) where I referred to my channel as “my little program” and where I used air quotes when I used the term ‘show notes.’ A Black woman viewer took gentle umbrage with both the words and the tone of what I said. She said that when I referred to my work in this self-deprecating way, it made her, in turn “feel a way.” That expression, for those who don’t know, means that it bothered her.

In my next video, I made sure to mention her name, and to thank her for her kind correction. As this viewer, Chantelle, noted, I had a right to be proud of the community I have created on YouTube (and here.) I had an obligation to celebrate this success, and that to do other than that was to do a disservice to myself, my audience, and my ancestors. I am, indeed, the hope of my ancestors. But there is another layer to all of this:

In response to this second video, several viewers protested that modesty and self-deprecation were virtues that they personally prized and aspired to. These viewers found my ‘aw shucks’ vibe….charming. I am going to go out on a limb here, and say that I’d bet money that this latter group of commenters are white. Further, I am going to again say that I am grateful for Chantelle’s chastisement. As Maya Angelou discovered early in life, there is a difference between modesty and humility. Modesty, Angelou opined, is ultimately performative and false. It is as though when a modest person says, “ Who, ME?” all full of wide-eyed surprise, the script requires the other person to say, “Why, yes, YOU! You are wonderful, amazing, incredible!” And the modest person’s required response is a rote bowing of the head, a casting down of the eyes, as though looking the other person in the face is just too much sunshine to bear.Chantelle called bullshit on that, and now, so do I.

Angelou made the case for a distinction between modesty and humility. She had contempt for the former, seeing it for the tool of control and oppression that it has traditionally been. Humility, though, is the acknowledgement that one’s greatness, one’s accomplishments, are only possible because we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, who made ways out of no way so that we could find the path to become who we are. ‘We are, because they were,’ I suppose one could say. When we celebrate ourselves, the ancestors celebrate with us. In whose interest is it for us to do less than to celebrate? Why is modesty seen only as a virtue in women? In whose interest might that be? Why must this old Black woman be modest about finding large if late success through spoken and written language? Whose interest might her self-effacement serve? Chantelle was right. I will celebrate. So do today’s cards:

I loved that the Knight of Swords is the first card. It is Daughter of Knives in Nyasha Williams’ Black Tarot. A woman wearing a sweeping red dress holds her sword aloft. In her bra, she carries two extra knives, sharpened and at the ready. Knives/Swords are the symbol for mental agility, sharp communication skills, and a hunger to both receive and impart wisdom, especially through the written and spoken word. How perfect.

Lenormand gives us Sun, Letter, Fox to emphasize the message that clarity (Sun) of expression (Letter) is something I have honed to a level of expertise (Fox.) Why would I ever metaphorically cast my eyes downward in….almost an apology… for the good stewardship of such a gift? To give airtime to those who say I am some sort of DEI accident who should be a little ashamed of what I can do with words? Nope, nope, nope.

Adinkra gives us Nsaa, the symbol for a highly-prized Ashanti fabric. We who are Black women have messages coming at us all the time from Rayon and Orlon and Polyester, telling us to dim our light, lower our voices, be more humble. But Rayon and Orlon and Polyester are not the Nsaa that we are. We must remember who we are and what we came here to do. Thank you, Chantelle and Dr. Angelou, for the reminder.

Amen and Ase

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The Language of Lenormand

My Website for those who want a reading

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