A tarot reading can be a source of hope. We can find within the cards, sometimes unbidden, indications of better days ahead.

We can ask the cards specific questions which will allow them to deliver hopeful messages.

We can study the cards and find within that study wisdom that bring enlightenment and hope.

We can create specific tarot spreads which can point the way to hopeful thinking and offer advice to help move a situation toward a better direction.

Hope can be life-giving, and lifesaving. Yet, hope can also be toxic. Sometimes the most healing thing we can do is to abandon hope and walk away from a hurtful situation. Sometimes the energy we put into a hopeless situation would be better used on something else.

Tarot can help us determine which situations deserve our hope, and when we are better served by letting go of hope.

Sometimes, the more specific we are in our questions, the clearer our answers and advice will be.

When I am unsure about the outcome of a situation, and whether it is appropriate to be hopeful, a simple two-card reading can often be illuminating.

One card will show the best possible outcome. The next card will show the worst possible outcome.

These two cards can often let us know whether we should have hope or walk away.

If the cards advise hope, we can then ask another question, such as “What should I do to help create that best possible outcome?”

If we are simply feeling overburdened and downtrodden in general, we can ask a simple question like, “About what can I feel hopeful right now?”

Very often the card that appears will give us inspiration, practical advice, or both.

But what happens when the card that appears isn’t a very hopeful card?

This is a situation when a clarifying card can be helpful. Very often a difficult card in answer to a question such as this is an invitation to heal an over-arching problem.

The cards can be soothing, but they are also truth-tellers. Sometimes there can be no real hope until we tackle a significant problem. Sometimes we just can’t get what we want. In those cases, hope comes from acceptance and a change in perspective.