Hi, all! Our card for today, Black Herman, is all about being focused and savvy.
Black Herman is associated with the Magician card in the traditional Tarot. The image on the card represents a real person in history who was a famous magician in the early 1900s. To supplement his income, he also sold talismans, tonics, and occult books.
But as Black Herman was entertaining and helping people, he also took the opportunity to talk to people about his political beliefs aimed at helping empower Black people in the face of discrimination.
This is what all magicians do, by the way. even the ordinary ones you see at children’s parties. They distract your attention so that you won’t notice how the trick is done. The technical term is called misdirection (here’s an article about it on Wikipedia. Also, here is a funny and amazing clip of Penn and Teller on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon demonstrating it.
One thing to keep in mind about misdirection is that it doesn’t happen by chance. It takes planning to do it right and to not make it so obvious.
So if you want to get a certain reaction from your words and actions, or if you want to get a certain outcome, you have to put in the work of planning it out. Think about the people you know who appear to have success. They may make it look easy…but perhaps you are not in on how the trick is done, and how much blood, sweat, and tears went into the making of it.
Think about your end goals—what you really want to achieve in any given situation? Are you doing it for the fun of it? Is it just something to pass the time? Are you trying to change your life, change the world, or help others? There’s no right or wrong answer. The important part is that your intentions are clear to yourself, if not to others.
Please know that I am not advocating lying. There’s a way to stay within your morals and integrity without necessarily showing your hand. There may be reasons to be discerning about how much information you give away. Whatever you do, as I often say, do it consciously with a strong sense of self and a specific purpose.
Have a beautiful day. (A version of this post originally appeared on my Patreon page on October 30, 2021).
Ms. Joyce Tarot 