Illustrated by Susan Morgan and including comments based on her descriptions either, it's a 79-card deck: the 78 traditional ones like in all Tarot decks, and one more card related to transcendence, called Master and displaying Osho's figure.
Osho (1931-1990, Sagittarius) was one of the most provocative and inspiring spiritual teachers of the 20 th century. Known for his revolutionary contribution to the science of inner transformation, the influence of his teachings continues to grow, reaching seekers of all ages in virtually every country of the world. He talked to audiencies for more than 35 years, and was the author of many books, including Love, Freedom, Aloneness, The Book of Secrets, and Innocence, Knowledge, and Wonder.
Tarot is traditionally used as an oracular tool although we find in Osho's deck a cards suit to meditate and transform the experience of the present moment, being each moment life itself. Most of the time we wonder about what will happen in the future, what about health and children, what will happen if we make this decision and not that one, longing to know about the past and future. Instead, Osho's Tarot focuses on present consciousness. The next brief video (around 16') shows Osho himself talking about oracles, fortune-telling, time, life, death and the way we go through the experience of being alive.
Zen wisdom guides our consciousness to assimilate the answers. States, transitions and transformative experiences are portrayed by assigning a specific keyword to each card, one that especially emphazises a type of inner move and transformation towards a more freed, detached and plenty consciousness. For example, the arcane X, traditionally referred to as The Wheel of Fortune, has been named Change, and the comment mentions different subjects such as karma, fate, spinning around galaxies, iterative patterns and even the Chinese kuas in permanent motion. Finally, the text says that noticing a pattern is what allow us to get out of it, change!
X - Osho's Zen TarotThe symbol in this card is an enormous wheel representing time, fate, karma. Galaxies spin around this constantly moving circle, and the twelve signs of the zodiac appear on its circumference. Just inside of the circumference are the eight trigrams of the I Ching, and even closer to the center are the four directions, each illuminated by the energy of lightning. The spinning triangle is at this moment pointed upward, toward the divine, and the Chinese symbol of yin and yang, male and female, creative and receptive, lies at the center. It has often been said that the only unchanging thing in the world is change itself. Life is continously changing, evolving, dying and being reborn. All opposites play a part in this vast circular pattern. If you cling to the edge of the wheel, you can get dizzy! Move toward the center of the cyclone and relax, knowing that this too will pass.
A transformative emphasis can be appreciated in all of the comments, illustrations and assigned words. Some of them are inner voice (II, The Priestess), transformation (XIII, Death), beyond illusion (XX, Judgement), courage (VIII, Strenght) and silence (XVII, The Star).
The classic decks can be considered as transformative tools as well although during the last decades they've been usually related to psychological issues. Even some of their names refer to external events and objects, and are clearly not related to the process of transcending perceptions and vivid experiences. For appreciating better the difference between perspectives, let's look at the visual and ideational images of card VII Consciousness, which is equivalent to the classic The Chariot and Triumph in the Egyptian deck. Both illustration and comment refer to extremely clear definitions about the inner transformations the card alludes to: a person lifts veils, dissolves and becomes a flame that distils no smoke.
VII - Osho's Zen TarotThe veil of illusion, or maya, that has been keeping you from perceiving reality as it is, is starting to burn away. The fire is not the heated fire of passion, but the cool flame of awareness. As it burns the veil, the face of a very delicate and childlike buddah becomes visible. The awareness that is growing in you now is not the result of any conscious "doing" nor do you need to struggle to make something happen. Any sense you might have had that you've been groping in the dark is dissolving now, or will be dissolving soon. Let yourself settle, and remember that deep inside you are just a witness, eternally silent, aware and unchanged. A channel is now opening from the circumference of activity to that center of wi. It will help you to become detached, and a new awareness will lift the veil from your eyes.
Another clear example of transformations leading to transcendence is card IV called The Rebel, which is equivalent to the classic The Emperor. The comment provides a brief although quite accurate reference about the inner state and the types of relationships we may expect for from those who know and rule their own world, who live unchained and seem to be strange people to the masses...
IV - Osho's Zen TarotThe powerful and authoritative figure in this card is clearly the master of his own destiny. On his shoulder is an emblem of the sun, and the torch he holds in his right hand, symbolizes the light of this hard-won truth. Whether he is rich or poor, the Rebel is really an emperor because he has broken the chains of society's repressive conditioning and opinions. He has formed himself by embracing all the colors of the rainbow, emerging from the dark and formless roots of his unconscious past and growing wings to fly into the sky. He's very way of being is rebellious -not because he's fighting against anybody or anything, but because he has discovered his own true nature and is determined to live in accordance to it. The eagle is his spirit animal, a messenger between earth and sky. The Rebel challenges us to be courageous enought to take responsability for who we are and to live our truth.
As you see, Osho's cards are great to see moments inside of processes, a state, a tendency... depending on the type of question the spread is about. It's also a deck to find the most adequate transformation for the matters we're interested in. Considering this, and as it happens with any other Tarot deck, the cards hold within an oracular value and may guide us into a specific state and mood. For example, Courage (VIII, Strength) talks about growing up by tolerating uncertainty, and the most adequate disposition to flow in whatever be the circumstances we're going through:
VIII - Osho's Zen TarotThis card shows a small wildflower that has met the challenge of the rocks and stones in its path to emerge to the light of day. Surrounded by an aura of bright golden light, it exposes the majesty of its tiny self. Unashamed, it is equal to the brightest sun. When we're faced to a very difficult situation we have a choice: we can either be ressentful, and try to find somebody or something to blame for the hardships, or we can face the challenge and grow. The flower shows us the way, as its passion for life leads it out of the darkness and into the light. There is no pointing in fighting against the challenges of life, or trying to avoid or deny them. They are there, and if the seed is to become the flower we must go through them. Be courageous enough to grow into the flower you're meant to be.index
III. Minors
One word is assigned to each minor card, too. And, as we've seen in major ones, the number of the card is at the bottom of the illustration, inside of a little diamond-shaped figure. The figure has a characteristic background color, which is always violet in major arcana, whereas in minor ones it depends on the card's suit: red for rods (fire), blue for cups (water), grey for swords (clouds), and seven colors for pentacles (rainbow).
Clouds are not just referring to swords but also to a non-illuminated consciousness, like when the perception is clouded and not definite. In the same way, rainbows are not just referring to pentacles (disks) but also to our journey from Earth to Heaven, as we walk on different tones and frequencies along the way.
10 of Clouds - Osho's Zen TarotThis card depicts the evolution of consciousness as it is described by Friedrich Nietzsche in his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra. He speaks of the three levels of Camel, Lion and Child. The Camel is sleepy, dull, auto-satisfied. He lives in delusion, thinking he's a mountain peak, but really he's so concerned with others' opinions that he hardly has any energy of his own. Emerging from the camel is the lion. When we realize we've been missing life, we start saying no to the demands of others. We move out of the crowd, alone and proud, roaring our truth. But this is not the end. Finally the child emerges, neither acquiescent nor rebellious, but innocent and spontaneous and true to his own being. Whatever the space you're in right now -sleepy and depressed, or roaring and rebellious- be aware that it will evolve into something new if you allow it. It is a time of growth and change.Ace of Rainbow - Osho's Zen TarotThis figure stands alone, silent and yet alert. The inner being is filled with flowers -that carry the quality of springtime and regenerate wherever he goes. This inner flowering and the wholeness that he feels affords the possibility of unlimited movement. He can move in any direction -within and out it makes no difference as his joy and maturity cannot be diminished by externals. He has come to a time of centeredness and expansiveness -the white glow around the figure is his protection and his light. All of life's experiences have brought him to this time of perception. When you get this card, know well this moment carries a gift -for hard work well done. Your base is solid now and success and good fortune are yours for they're the outcome of what has already been experienced within.
There're just few minor cards with no trace of the suit's color they are part of. In those cases, we'll only find a reference in the background of the diamond-shaped figure. But in most of the cases, the color extends everywhere, as we can see in the reddish tone (rods) spread all over Traveling, the destiny for all pilgrims:
8 of Fire - Osho's Zen TarotThe tiny figure moving on the path through this beautiful landscape is not concerned about the goal. He or she knows that the journey is the goal, the pilgrimage itself is the sacred place. Each step in the path is important in itself. When this card appears in a reading, it indicates a time of movement and change. It may be a physical movement from one place to the next, or an inner movement from one way of being to another. But whatever the case, this card promises that the going will be easy and will bring a sense of adventure and growth; there is no need to struggle or plan too much. The Traveling card also reminds us to accept and embrace the new, just as when we travel to another country with a different culture and environment than the one we're accustomed to. This attitude of openess and acceptance invites new friends and experiences into our lives.index
IV. Masteries
Court cards are called masters and, as the name says, are related to different masteries: fire figures are masters of action, water figures are emotional masters, cloud figures are masters of the mind, and rainbow figures are physical masters.
The figures are not related to court lifestyle, and some of them don't even display the sex or age attributes we usually find in classic cards. Sometimes, they don't even display human characters either, or they are straightly immersed into a different element (not that of the suit). We'll know if we got a court card if the arrowhead is inside of the diamond-shaped figure. The direction of the arrowhead sets the type of character the card refers to: North is for kings (▲), East for knights (►), South for queens (▼), and West for pages (◄).
AdventureIt's the keyword for the knight of rainbow (pentacles), and is symbolized as a little child going towards an unknown and ignored destiny, beyond the visible horizon, so taking the chance of exploring and growing.Slowing downIt's the word assigned to the page of rainbow, and shows a tortoise that doesn't hurry in seeking what it holds already within.TrustIt's the word assigned to the page of water (cups), and shows a figure that could be a woman or a man, of uncertain age, openly jumping into the air, trusting that nothing will be lost, not fearing the unknown...index
V. Spreads
For using Osho's Zen Tarot, you don't need to know any other deck, or anything about Tarot. The deck comes along with a guidebook, and the set can be found on Amazon. Finally, let's see some spreads the book suggests, quite related to the spirit of the deck: the diamond and the flying bird spreads.
diamond
the situation
what's before
what's next
what underlies it
what's over it
the flying bird
it's what starts the bird's flight
the following cards are read as groups: 2 & 3 , 4 & 5 , 6 & 7
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