Botanical Dreams Oracle - digital collages of nature and dreamscapes
Many oracle cards reference nature. Few do it the way Catrin Welz-Stein does. Her digital collages are grounded in vintage botanical prints, but what you see is not herbarium illustration. They are surrealist compositions where plants, animals and human figures intermingle and dreamscapes take the lead.
The Botanical Dreams Oracle was compiled by Lynn Araujo, who wrote the texts and four spreads. The imagery is entirely Welz-Stein's work. That combination makes this a deck where the visual outweighs the text.
What you see on the cards
The images are built from layered elements: old nature prints, photographed flowers, body parts, birds, butterflies. Everything is digitally merged into a new whole. The colours are warm and saturated, with lots of ochre, rust brown and moss green.
Each card has a title and a short keyword or phrase. The symbolism is often literally readable: a rose for love, a lily for purity, a tree for growth. But the way the elements are combined makes the message more layered than the keyword alone suggests.
The 68-page guidebook describes what each image can mean. The texts are poetic and invite reflection. It contains four different spreads, ranging from a daily card to a more extensive layout for self-insight.
How this deck stands apart
Welz-Stein's style is distinctive. Her work is melancholic, dreamy and nostalgic. That makes this deck different from a classic botanical oracle with realistic illustrations. You are closer to surrealism here than to botany.
Many people use this deck for morning reflections or as a meditative card. The images are dense enough to hold your attention, yet open enough to let you place your own story in them. This is not a deck you move through quickly in a reading.
Place a card in front of you for a while without reaching for the guidebook. Notice what the image evokes before you read the text.
About Catrin Welz-Stein and Lynn Araujo
Catrin Welz-Stein is a German artist who has been creating digital collages since 2005. Her work is printed and collected worldwide. She started as a graphic designer and developed her style by combining vintage prints with contemporary photography.
Lynn Araujo writes and publishes oracle cards. She previously created The Starchild Tarot and The Earthbound Oracle, among others. Her focus is on accessible, intuitive cards with a poetic undertone.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 56
- Card size: 82.55 x 127 mm
- Guidebook: 68 pages, full-colour
- Language: English
- Publisher: U.S. Games Systems Inc.
- ISBN: 9781646712403
- Packaging: sturdy storage box measuring 92.07 x 136.53 mm
- Artist: Catrin Welz-Stein
- Author: Lynn Araujo
Questions we often get
Can I combine this deck with tarot?
Yes. Many people use it as a supplementary deck to deepen a tarot reading or as a theme card for a new spread. The images are open enough to work with different systems.
Are the cards fully illustrated or is there a lot of text on them?
Each card has a title and a short keyword or phrase. The rest is image. All extended texts are in the guidebook.
