The Osho Zen Tarot is named after Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, better known as Osho, a famous modern-day spiritual master. These cards differ from the classic tarot because of their insights. They focus on the here and now and are based on the wisdom of Zen.
A transcendent zen deck
The Osho Zen Tarot is not a traditional tarot because it does not focus on the future. Rather, it is a transcendent zen play that reflects the moment and shows you what is happening in the here and now. This deck brings you into contact with your sensitivity, intuition, compassion, responsiveness, courage, and individuality. The emphasis is mainly on insight and awareness.
This deck is a journey of discovery and a way to leave everything behind. The cards reveal what you actually already know inside yourself, but what you cannot or do not want to see at the time of the laying. These cards lead to increased awareness and understanding, allowing self-transformation to take place.
The wisdom of Zen
Zen’s wisdom assumes that the events around us are a reflection of our own thoughts and feelings and that we are not always aware of what we feel and think. This tarot helps us to get our attention away from events outside of us so that we can become aware of what is happening in our own hearts. They help us to listen to our inner voice, our own truth.
Composition of the deck
Instead of 78 cards, the Osho Zen Tarot contains 79 cards. This deck consists of the Major Arcana with 23 cards, and the Small Arcana with 56 cards.
The Major Arcana
This one card counts more than most classic tarot cards because Master Card has been added. The cards are numbered with Roman numerals, from 0 to XXI, the Master card (see image) is not numbered. The Master stands for transcendence and gives the possibility to find enlightenment.
The maps of the Major Arcana tell the full story of the spiritual journey of man. They represent the various stages of life on earth, from birth to death. This series is the most symbolic part of the tarot because they represent the important changes in our lives.
The Minor Arcana
These 56 cards are divided into four series, which represent the four elements. The cards of the water series have a blue diamond, those from the fire series a red one, from the woken series a gray one and those from the rainbow series, reflect the colors of the rainbow.
The fire sequence corresponds to the Bars of the traditional tarot and represents action and response. The water series replaces the traditional goblets that represent the emotional side of life. They carry more feminine and receptive energy, compared to the fire series. The clouds replace the Swords so that this air series symbolizes thinking. The rainbow series of this deck takes the place of the traditional Discs or Pentagrams and represents the element earth. This element represents the practical, material side of life.
Working with the Osho Zen Tarot
The enclosed detailed manual for this card deck clearly states what it’s all about. Osho’s masterful insight has been added by texts from his lectures. The maps are images of beautiful paintings by Ma Deva Padma that are easy to understand.
The manual gives several legends, but it is important with these cards that you work creatively and develop your own vision over time. In this way, you learn to deal with these cards in a way that suits you completely. You will then be given the necessary insights clearly.