• Author: Colleen Footit (Instagram greatlakesoracle)
• Artist: Sarah Palmer
• Publisher: self-published (Great Lakes Oracle™ Cards)
• Publication Year: 2021
• RRP: $59.99 USD
• Reviewer: Cadence (IG: @temperanceandtruth)

The Great Lakes Oracle deck is self-published by author Colleen Footit and illustrated by Sarah Palmer, a cousin duo from the Great Lakes region of the US. You may wonder why I am reviewing a region-specific deck of the US for a UK-based tarot organization. As a person located in the land-locked state of Montana in the US, I am greatly attracted to waterscapes of all kinds and visit them whenever possible. The Great Lakes Oracle will similarly appeal to anyone who has an interest in the soothing energy of water and all things maritime. 

The Great Lakes are five interconnected freshwater lakes in the northern US, the largest water complex by area (and approximately equal to the size of the UK, incidentally). The imagery reflecting the maritime industry is striking, with paintings that include a fishing net, a logging operation, and a ‘Shipwrecks’ card. Thousands of ships (estimated at around 6,000), many of which have never been located, rest at the bottom of the Great Lakes. The most well-known of these is the shipwreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. For the Edmund Fitzgerald card, the key phrases are: ‘Hatches are heavy’, ‘Caught off guard’, and ‘Surrender’. Each entry gives a description of the artwork and ends with affirmations. In the Edmund Fitzgerald card, the affirmation is, “I will surrender to the moments that are hard.”

The author explains that the idea for her deck came in a fortuitous dream, which she describes in the introduction. The deck aims to provide guidance for our everyday hurdles. The images, a tribute to the flora, fauna, landscape, and nautical history of the region, are beautiful and calming painted watercolor scenes.

One of my favorite cards features the Fresnel Lens, the intricate lenses invented for lighthouses to serve as both a navigational beacon as well as a coastline warning for ships. The keywords are, ‘illuminating path’ and ‘beacon in the darkness’. All of the messages of the Great Lakes Oracle are similarly simple and are chosen for self-reflection.

On the creator’s website, you’ll find three different options for packaging, including an eco-friendly version housed in a linen bag. The cards are oracle-sized, and they are printed locally in the Great Lakes region. The author kindly included a gorgeous piece of tumbled copper, sourced from the area.

The Great Lakes Oracle deck will appeal to anyone that wants to invite watery energy into their readings. In addition, it offers a sense of nostalgia, with images of lakeside cabins, autumnal color changes, driftwood, and sea glass. It pairs beautifully with other watery decks, as well as any earthy-leaning decks. This is not a deck that demands a lot of you: it is calm and kind, exactly what we’re looking for at times.