Foxfire: The Kitsune Oracle – Hope

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Hope is the offering that carries us forward into the darkness, unbowed and unbroken, despite the knowledge of the true challenges which face us. Hope allows us to see the beauty and exquisite shifts and changes within the natural world without becoming frightened of what they are omens of – the winter of the soul.

When this card comes to you, you are asked to be receptive to hope, and to allow its gentle, uplifting sweetness to bring joy and comfort into the days that grow cold. Hope will allow you to be realistic, but to also stay present and without fear, which can cripple and inhibit our pleasure in the turning of the wheel of the year.

As your life moves into a time that will bring some challenges, you are given the gift of hope. which will stay with you, helping you to see the gifts in all the moments in which others will allow the challenge to steal the meaning from them. Allow the changes to take place, and treasure all the time you can spend with loved ones and with the natural world, and give yourself time to relish the ever-changing world all about you.

(excerpt from the Kitsune Oracle guidebook)

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I pull this card a lot when I’m doing readings for myself! It always makes me smile because I realize just how important it is to have Hope. It is hope, after all, that keeps us going in the rough times when all seems lost. Hope is sometimes all we feel we have to hang on to in those hours of darkness. It gives us the strength to keep going and not give up.

Even in the moments when we are shining the brightest, we have hope that those moments will never come to an end, which only adds to the positive rush that those moments give us. It encourages us to look optimistically towards the future and either rise from the ashes like a phoenix, or solidify and strengthen the foundations that bring us stability, peace and happiness. Be it in times of darkness, or times of joy, the gift of hope is one of the greatest the universe has bestowed upon us.

As a good friend of mine once told me, “Always prepare for the worst, but hope for the best.” It’s the same as keeping a positive attitude, but staying rooted enough in reality to know that not everything is always going to be a walk in the park. That advice always helps ground my anxiety when I find myself in difficult situations. It reminds me that even as I prepare for the worst and know that the worst could realistically happen, as long as I have hope, I can pull through it.

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Affirmations about Hope:

Affirmations come from from Takenya Hampton’s Personal Development Blog

• Hope helps me persevere through obstacles. I know that hardships are temporary. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel even while I am struggling.
• Hope motivates me to take risks. I focus on what I have to gain. I have the courage to venture out of my comfort zone.
• I build hope. I surround myself with family and friends who help me to look on the bright side.
• I sustain hope. I slow down and take a deep breath when I feel overwhelmed. I greet change with an open mind. I make a list of the many things that I am grateful for. I remember how much goodness there is in the world.
• I spread hope. I lift my spirits by helping others to feel more cheerful.
• Today, I have high hopes. I look on the bright side and keep moving forward. I am confident that I can attain my goals.