Behind The Deck: Messengers From The Great Bear Oracle
Dive into hidden stories, meet the creators, and get an intimate look at a deck that’s so much deeper than just a review.
For anyone curious about tarot cards, an oracle card deck is actually a great place to start.
They’re different from tarot cards in that they don’t follow the same structure necessarily. For example, they might not come with four suits, a major arcana, or an overarching archetypal journey because their meanings are all created by the maker.
To be honest, if I’m feeling heightened emotions or need to seriously self-soothe, then I’ll turn to an oracle card deck.
I believe that oracle cards offer similar introspective and transformative capabilities as a tarot deck but in a much gentler, more free-flowing way.
I wanted to share my newest obsession with you. It’s called Messengers from the Great Bear Oracle Deck and it has 52 cards filled with hand drawings of animals — and the best part is that it’s 100% local.
Both the creators of the deck call B.C. home and it’s made here, where I call home, in Vancouver.
That means that the creatures in the deck like the seal, otter, crow, and squirrel are all familiar to me because I’ve seen them my whole life. It’s created an instant connection for me to the deck.
It’s a stunning and elegant collection that I have treasured since I got it. I love to pull one a day and keep it up and displayed on my shelf as my little message of grace to set the tone for my day. Plus, it’s fun to pull one at the end of a big tarot reading to add a little dose of nature and playfulness.
I reached out to Sarah Hammond, the artist, who shared about her journey with her co-creator Brenda Holmes to making the deck.
Plus, at the end of this story, there’s a spread I created that you can use with this or any oracle deck.
Can you tell us about this unique deck and why you made it?
“We both have a love of nature. I had recently moved to Vancouver and fell in love with all the animals that are so abundant here in Canada. I started a little side hustle of illustrating Pacific Northwest animals and selling them at local markets.”
“Then, with Brenda's influence and her affinity with divination practices like tarot and oracle decks, we decided to make our own. She also has been learning more about shamanism in the past couple of years. All the words in the deck are from Brenda and the illustrations are from me. We wanted to celebrate nature, our friendship, and art through this project.”
How long was this in the works and how long does it takes to do 52 original drawings by hand?
“We had been plotting this for about five years with four years in the actual illustration and writing. We both had full-time jobs when we started the project and that’s where we met.”
“Each drawing takes between six to 16 hours to draw depending on the size. For example, the dragonfly is one of the largest pieces that I have done and it took 16 hours to draw. Some of the other drawings are much smaller and therefore take less time.”
Did you learn anything about yourselves as you were putting the deck together?
“We learnt a lot about patience and letting go of expectations of the launch date. It got pushed back many times but we wanted our final product to be perfect and not be rushed.”
“The patience of the Turtle comes to mind when asked this question. It has definitely been a labour of love.”
“But we are so proud of the final product and so happy that we got to print it here in Vancouver. Which was another hurdle to find the right printer...lots of our other oracle decks that we own are printed overseas and we really want to keep things as local as possible. Another reason why it took so long to actually launch.”
Read More: An Easy Self-Worth Tarot Spread
Do you have a favourite animal in the deck that just speaks to you?
“Brenda loves the snake — transformation and healing. She’s always been a lover of snakes.”
“For me, it changes regularly. I'm still amazed that I share my home and the land here with bears, whales and even raccoons. The raccoon illustration is from a critter that lives close to my apartment and visits my patio regularly. So maybe he speaks to me the most.”
How do you think this deck can help people get clarity for what lies ahead?
“It helps you to delve deeper within, giving yourself the space to spark questions and personal insights, priorities, values, dreams, and what is most meaningful to you in life.”
“They give you the opportunity of a daily ritual to keep you grounded especially in uncertain times. Plus, our deck connects back to the animals and nature to rewild ourselves a little bit in the process.”
If the animals in this deck could give us one piece of advice, what do you think they’d want us to know above all else?
“Nature and our surroundings are so powerful in healing for our wellbeing. We humans are just animals really and I think we forget that sometimes. We are equal to them, however great or small, and can take lessons from them in listening to our gut and our natural animal instincts.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.
Mystic Rose Spread for the Messengers from the Great Bear Oracle Deck
Card #1 An energy to thank & release
Card #2 An energy to draw in closer
Card #3 An energy to help guide your path
