or to predict the future. These cards are used to understand the here & now. Based on the transcendental game of Zen, the Osho Zen Tarot is a non-traditional deck of 79 cards. There are many changes that suit the Zen theme, including one extra major arcana card for Osho, and four suits of fire, clouds, water, and rainbows.
Most of the cards are inspiring and stunningly beautiful.
The Osho Zen Tarot is inspired by the work of Osho, a teacher from India (1931-1990).
The artist Ma Deva Padma is a meditative artist and disciple of Osho. The goal of this deck is awareness.
It is presented as "a transcendental game of Zen ... a wake-up call to tune in to sensitivity, intuition, compassion, receptivity, courage and individuality." The Osho Zen Tarot is divided into the standard major and minor arcanas, but the usual identifiers on each card are absent. The cards are distinguished through the color and numbering/symbol in a small diamond at the bottom of each card.
There is also a keyword meaning associated with each card. The court cards are not always pictured as people.
They are identified by a direction arrow in the diamond.
Drawing on the Buddhist teachings of the Osho Commune International in Poona, this set of tarot cards and accompanying book offer a reworking, for the followers of Zen, of the traditional medieval tarot art of fortune-telling.
The tarot can be approached as a "book of life", and the explanatory book aims to enable anyone to read the cards. The images are simpler than the more obscure symbolism of traditional tarot, which needs a "reader" to interpret.
The book explains how best to work with the energy of the cards, and includes Zen anecdotes and stories by Osho to illuminate the essential of each card, and to help even those who are unfamiliar with the teachings of Zen to understand their meanings.
There are 79 Cards in the Deck. Major Arcana: 23. Minor Arcana: 56. Size of each Card: 7.4 x 10.9cm
This deck comes as a boxed set with The Osho Zen Tarot (176 pages).
The Osho Zen Tarot Deck tells it how it is, if you want clarity on where you are on your life's journey - day in day out - you will find it in this deck.