The Osho Zen Tarot is a non-traditional deck of 79 cards, created from the transcendental videogame of Zen. It features an additional significant arcana card for Osho and four suits of cards. The deck was published in 1995 by St. Martin’s Press and is one of the earliest decks purchased. The cards emphasize being in the present moment and making the NOW your point of power.
The deck is based on the wisdom teachings of the Indian mystic Osho and combines traditional tarot symbolism with the Zen theme. There are 23 Major Arcana cards in the deck, not 22. The last number is the Master, which symbolizes the ultimate transcendence of the separate, individual ego in enlightenment.
The Osho Zen Tarot encourages self-reflection, mindfulness, and personal growth. It is based on the wisdom teachings of the Indian mystic Osho and combines traditional tarot symbolism with the Zen theme. The deck includes a Master card, which symbolizes the ultimate transcendence of the separate, individual ego in enlightenment.
The Osho Zen Tarot is a unique tarot deck that encourages self-reflection, mindfulness, and personal growth. Published in 1910, it features 78 cards divided into two Arcana: Major Arcana, which represents major life themes like The Fool, The Fool’s Wife, and The Fool’s Wife. The deck comes with a full-color deck and an instruction book.
📹 Osho Zen Tarot | Deep Dive Walkthrough & Review
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What deck has 32 cards?
The Piquet deck, a French-suited deck of 32 cards, is used in the 16th-century two-player game Piquet. A stripped deck, short pack, or shortened pack is a set of playing cards reduced in size from a full pack by removing a certain card or cards, usually pip cards, court cards, or Tarot cards. Stripped decks are commercially available for popular games.
When playing cards first arrived in Europe in the 1370s, they had the same format as the modern standard 52-card deck. In the late 14th and 15th centuries, Spanish and Portuguese decks dropped the 10s and Aces to create 48-card decks. The removal of these cards was motivated by manufacturing considerations, but later expulsions were aimed at making card games more exciting. Trappola is the first known card game to be played with a stripped deck for game play, removing all cards from 3 to 6, inclusive, to create a 36-card deck.
How many cards are in each suit of a tarot deck?
Cartomantic Tarot cards, derived from Latin-suited packs, typically have a Minor Arcana of 56 cards, with 14 cards in each suit: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. The four court cards are page, knight, queen, and king. Some variations have princess and prince cards, while others have damsel and mounted lady cards. The historical Tarot of Marseilles contains 56 cards, while later packs based on French suits have only three court cards per suit. The Minor Arcana is believed to represent mundane life features, while the court cards may represent people one meets. Each suit has distinctive characteristics and connotations.
How many cards in a deck per suit?
A standard 52-card French-suited deck is the most common pack of playing cards used today, consisting of 13 ranks in each of four suits: clubs (♣), diamonds (♦), hearts (♥), and spades (♠). Each suit includes three court cards (face cards), King, Queen, and Jack, with reversible images. The deck’s double-sided design ensures anonymity and fungibility of the cards when their value is kept secret.
In English-speaking countries, it is the only traditional pack used for playing cards, but in many countries, it is used alongside other traditional, often older, standard packs with different suit systems such as those with German-, Italian-, Spanish-, or Swiss suits. The most common pattern of French-suited cards worldwide is the English pattern pack, followed by the Belgian-Genoese pattern, designed in France but whose use spread to Spain, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, the Balkans, much of North Africa and the Middle East.
In addition to these patterns, there are other major international and regional patterns, such as standard 52-card packs in Italy that use Italian-suited cards. In other regions, such as Spain and Switzerland, the traditional standard pack comprises 36, 40, or 48 cards.
Commercial decks often include from one to six Jokers, which are often distinguishable from one another in design or color, as some card games require these extra cards. Jokers can also be used as replacements for lost or damaged cards.
How many cards does a full deck have?
A standard deck of 52 cards is comprised of four distinct suits. The four suits are clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds. The Clubs and Spades suits are black in color and feature numbers ranging from 2 to 10. The remaining cards are the Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. The probability of selecting a black card with a number divisible by two is fivefold, with the possible outcomes being two, four, six, eight, and ten.
How many cards should be in my tarot deck?
A tarot deck is comprised of 78 cards, which are divided into two distinct categories: the major arcana and the minor arcana. The 22 major arcana cards address significant life events and themes, including relationships, career, and love, with a particular focus on major life events.
How many cards do I pull for a tarot reading?
Howe recommends two basic spreads for beginners: a three-card pull and the Celtic Cross. The former involves drawing three cards from the deck to represent the past, present, and future, while the Celtic Cross is a classic starting point with 10 cards each. However, there is no “right” spread; it’s more about the connections between the cards, as the cards around a certain card influence the meaning.
Dyan suggests focusing on the quality of each message instead of the quantity of cards pulled, as the connections between cards are influenced by each other and sometimes amplified by each other. The Celtic Cross spread is a classic starting point, but there is no one “right” spread.
How many of each card are in a tarot deck?
Tarot cards are a set of 78 cards, divided into Major Arcana (22 cards) and Minor Arcana (56 cards), with the Minor Arcana divided into four suits (Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands). Originating from playing cards in the mid-1400s, tarot readings have evolved over time, with Jean-Baptiste Alliette being the first to develop a consistent interpretation and concept. Tarot readings can have various meanings for individuals, including predicting the future, connecting to other worlds, or prompting deeper personal reflection. The first step in performing a tarot reading is to pick a deck, which can be interpreted in various ways based on its artwork.
How many cards are in a standard deck?
A standard deck of playing cards consists of 52 cards in each of the four suits of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs, each containing 13 cards. Modern decks usually include two Jokers. A variety of games can be played with a standard deck or a modified deck, with some listed on BGG. A larger list can be found under the Traditional Playing Cards family, while Traditional Card Games is a placeholder for games not in the BGG database. John McLeod’s Pagat. com offers a comprehensive list of traditional card games and articles about playing cards.
What is the most expensive tarot card?
The Fool is a card in tarot games, not part of the Major Arcana. In most games, the Fool is independent of both plain suit cards and trump cards, and does not belong to either category. Tarot decks originally made for game playing do not assign a number to the Fool indicating its rank in the suit of trumps. The Fool is one of the most valuable cards in almost all tarot games.
In tarot games originating from Italy and France, the Fool has a unique role, sometimes called “the Excuse”. In these games, the player excuses the player from following suit or playing a trump. At the end of the trick, the player takes back the Fool and adds it to their trick pile, giving the trick’s winner the least valuable card from that same pile. If there are no cards to give in exchange, the Fool is worth one point less and an extra point is given to the trick-taker.
In a minor variant option of French tarot, a player dealt trump 1 but with no other trumps or the Fool can make trump 1 behave the same as the Fool. In official tournament rules, a player in this situation must declare their hand and force a redeal.
How many cards are in a karma deck?
The game comprises three cards of each type, ranging from one to 16, and four distinct Karma Cards.
How many cards are in Osho Zen Tarot?
The Sacred She Tarot is a unique tarot designed by an artist who aims to help readers navigate their emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual stress. The 78-card deck depicts the soul’s journey from chaos to wholeness, aiming to spark recognition within the reader. The deck focuses on self-awareness, which leads to clearing, simplifying, and balancing every aspect of life. The Tarot aims to serve as a guide for self-awareness and realization of one’s own treasure.
The artist believes that the timing is right for the Sacred She Tarot to offer soulful nourishment and clarity as we transition from an old-world order burdened by aggressive male dominance. The deck aims to illuminate a path towards divine feminine principles of respect, nurture, and inner peace, regardless of gender. The Sacred She Tarot is designed to serve as a tool for self-awareness and self-realization.
📹 Short Demo Reading with Osho Zen Cards and Tidbits
Here is a short demonstration using the Osho Zen as an oracle deck rather than trying to relate it to a 78 card traditional tarot deck.
Thank you for putting so much time and effort into this deep dive. It is so unbelievably useful. I’ve had the Osho Zen for a while now, but could never gel with the book at all, despite loving (most of) the imagery on the cards. This has been really helpful to see the interpretations and how it compares to RWS. I’m hoping that working with this deck will now be less jarring ☺️ thanks again, Lisa!
Nice overview of a Tarot classic! As for card #5, it may be that the author is highlighting what a Zen master tries to impart to his students: that there is an emptiness, devoid of name and form, which acts as a prelude to satori (enlightenment). This is the antithesis of what the Pope offers his acolytes, with all the trappings and teachings of the Catholic church. I believe this take on the card is consistent with Osho’s teachings, resulting in a thorough deconstruction of the traditional Hierophant.
I am a very new subscriber of you and a very new person to tarot. I have just started and after perusal you and understanding keywords can help, I ordered this Osho Zen deck. Although I am not a pro or not even a great starter potential but I believe No-thingness is an alternative to “God or a messenger of God” which the hierophant is supposed to be. For Osho’s teachings, it says No-thingness is the place where everything could be found. Its the ultimate awakening that one needs to trust in. Hierophant relates to set beliefs and ultimate teacher. So, one should have this as their set belief that you need to lose everything to learn what you’re capable of. While traditions can teach you how you should be, no-thingness can also teach you how you can be. You can be everything and anything you want if you start with zero/undefined. For me when you have black, you’ll crave colors the most. so you’ll learn to bring colors using your own thoughts. That card is actually a teacher which asks you to go in any direction you want to. So powerful!
I purchased this deck quite some time ago and for some reason was totally intimidated. This week, it finally called to me and boy does it just SING. I couldn’t have found this walk through at a better time. It just reaffirmed the whole experience I’m having with this deck right now. Timing is really everything.
I’m app reciting this article so very much!!! I’m Rider-Waite quote familiar and live Oslo Zen, but this comparison really opened a hole new vision for me. I love your approach – if I may; I’d say regarding a possible point of view Hierophant rules more from “world” human logic, hierachy order etc vs No-thingness doing pretty much the same thing but from a spiritually enlightened perspective, continuation vs awakening, which in essence is kinda the same thing ❤️❤️❤️
I’m always a bit confused when people say the artwork pops more without the border. I just don’t get it… the artwork to me pops with or without a border. I can understand why folks don’t like really distracting crazy borders (too much going on or garish colours), or when the borders make a deck bigger than it needs to be & therefore difficult to handle. But as always, to each their own!
Thank you for this. I found your website recently and got inspired to buy this deck today… then immediately started cutting on it right out of the box… couldn’t believe it, it felt so wrong to trim at first but they look so nice that way. And there’s no turning back now! I didn’t even know trimming decks was a thing until I saw some of your articles. I’m learning all kinds of things. Really glad you’re making this type of content. Thank you 😊
I just recently found your website and I love the depth that you provide. I say no more apologizing for “10 minutes in and I haven’t ..!” You have! The Osho Zen was my first deck as well- gifted to me in 2000 by a friend who,having learned on RW, just could not vibe with it in any way. I have only read for myself, and until recently, thr deck was my only deck. The messages I received through my deck over the past 20 years during the most significant moments of my life have been powerful. In the spirit of change, though, I am SO going to to trim mine down. And Lol- oh heck no could I throw my book away! For the reasons you mentioned on -the left side of the pages!
Ok so I brought this deck for myself a while ago second hand and put is aside for Christmas. This week I’ve been reading the book and then each suite or the majors after I’ve read and studied the cards I’ve watched the next bit of this article. It’s been quite the journey! I can’t thank you enough for this article. It’s helped solidify what I’ve read and studied also how much I ADORE this deck! The wands suite is the best wands suite I’ve seen ever!!!! I think if you are on a healing journey so many aspects of this deck and it’s push towards mindfulness and self ownership is deeply moving. Thank you Lisa❤️❤️ so happy to finally have met this deck and let it into my heart with your voice narrating the journey. Very very special 🌸💗🌸
The first visualization, the first like and the first comment on a article, lol, that’s a lot of firsts for me today! Hahaha… I’ve been waiting for so long for this article, wow… I bought this deck last month but I’ve been struggling to read with it since then… Thank you so much for this article, I think it’s going to help me and others that struggle to understand this deck. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🥰
I found this beautiful deck in a flea market it’s well loved and used before it came to me. I’ve been studying Tarot and wondered what card belonged to which suit. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and thoughts. I sat here for a couple of hours like a student taking and making notes in my book. Awesome stuff thanks again 🌺🙏🌺
Just found your website and just subscribed. And I love your in-depth thoughts and that you share so freely your knowledge and experience. Please don’t apologize for the length of the article, I wouldn’t mind if was even longer because I find your thoughts so amazing to listen to! With love from Sweden.
Thank you ~ Thank you Lisa for this article!!! I used to work in esoteric bookstore some time ago and this deck was literally in my face ALL the time and I didn’t get it. No connection whatsoever. Funny enough last year I picked it up on some clearance and love it since. Love your comparisons and explanations for example the Conditioning card. Also the Schizophrenia card totally agree with you about the name. What happened to the Master card?? Went through the article twice but not sure 🤔 if it got mentioned. Hmmm also was not aware of any controversy – have to check. Anyway very helpful and Thank you for taking the time making this! 🌟
I never considered this deck because of the art. Half the cards are beautiful but the other half are odd to me. When you reviewed the guidebook in another article – I considered getting it. Decided to watch this article first. Half way through i stopped and put my 2 favorite decks in order so i could view this comparing it with decks i use most. I still think I’d love the guid book but not sure I’d reach for the cards. Maybe this article was enough. This was a really enlightening deep dive. Thank you!
The Hierophant vs. No-thingness….. I have been reading with Rider Waite for 22 years (29 years reading with Marseille) and look forward to using this deck soon. That space between inhaling and exhaling is the connection between them. You have to be in that space for conformity. The Hierophant demands it. Thanks for sharing your understanding.
I think in 6 of swords the burden isn’t the people but the swords themselves, our past experiences, negative thoughts etc. Great article, Osho Zen Tarot was my first tarot deck that I got and read without knowing ANYTHING about Tarot. Only years later I started studying Tarot in depth and realised I already own one deck and actually have been working with it without realising xD How funny!
A couple of days ago I happened to stumble across this article. I could say I have no idea how it happened – which is true – but I know WHY it happened. 😃 As a matter of fact a while ago I had put the intention out to the Universe to show me a deck that was more spiritual. Most of my decks have that pagan or earthly energy and this was something I was missing. So I watched this article and was amazed right away. This was it! Such a lovely, spiritual energy and the cards are so beautiful! I ordered it right away. It arrived today and I am over the moon with it!! The messages it’s giving me go straight to my soul! Thanks for helping me find it! ❤️
I also received this as my first deck years ago; it’s very beloved to me and I lost the book! So I’ve been using intuition for these cards for a while. I know you said you don’t typically get upside down cards, but I’m wondering how you’d interpret them. I have my own way but I’m not sure it’s totally applicable to all up side downers. Thanks so much for this. Preparing for my first big group reading and this is a gem 🙂
This article is awesome. I got a copy of this deck from Book Outlet a little while ago and haven’t worked too much with it yet. This article is sooo informative, for this deck and for the RWS system too. So much knowledge and understanding on display here! I just have to remind myself how many years you’ve been doing this lol
I’ve had a deck for years, but they were stored away for quite awhile and today pulled a couple of cards and one was ‘reversed’ (Source) Does this deck have a different meaning when the card is ‘reversed’? Thank you so much, love you article … going to share it with a few friends. Such a beautiful deck… <3
Before you read the guidebook entry, what came to mind for me the with the No-Thingness card and The Hierophant was the idea of faith. The Hierophant provides conventional Earthly knowledge that one needs to follow in order to live a “spiritually sound” life (provided that one follows the rules) (I’m leaning super religiously into the Hierophant right now, though that’s not usually how I read his type of guidance). However, rarely is that knowledge a tangible thing. It’s no-thing. At that point, the supplicants have no choice others than to have faith that he’s steering them in the right direction. The supplicants legit have to wait until they die to figure out if he was right/telling the truth Faith is also no-thing.
This was the second deck I ever bought, many years ago, and I ended up gifting it to a niece on the spur of the moment which I immediately regretted. I bought another copy a few years later but never established the emotional/spiritual bond I felt to the first deck. Does that even make sense? I think it might have to do with finding out about it’s connection to the Rajneesh movement after moving to Oregon. I haven’t trimmed this one but did edge it in black, and I love the way it shuffles 🙂 I know I’m visiting your articles long after the fact but I enjoy them so much!
I’ve watched a little of this but will revisit when it’s Christmas and I get to open this deck. I scored it second hand for £8 and when it arrived the parcel was sat on my doormat in my porch but another delivery driver threw a huge box of toilet paper I ordered on top of it and cracked the plastic box it comes in. When I informed the toilet paper company they refunded the entire box of toilet paper £40 as an apology!!!!! I was so blown away…. with the extra I brought the many queens Indie deck second hand off a fellow YouTuber, which is now also in my birthday/Christmas stash 🙌🙌🙌 I am so grateful you’ve made this article, it will be so helpful, this was one deck I really really wanted when I first started my tarot journey ❤️💜🧡💚
Stop apologizing for the length! 🙂 If people don’t want to stick around, they can fast forward or not watch 🙂 I loved your side by side comparison with RWS. This deck has always peaked my interest so I appreciated this deep dive. I have the Tao Oracle and really enjoy that deck and its images (and the feel of the cards too!), and always wondered about this deck. So thank you for spending the time doing this Lisa! 🙂
Concerning the heirophant and no-thingness card… I believe that at this high and sacred spot of the major arcana, the heirophant would not symbolize common down-to- earth religious systems but will be more spiritual than the hermit. Thus being said, I would guess that they rightly felt that he is preaching no-thingness to his disciples, giving them the keys and blessings to reveal Its mystery
Thank you Lisa this article is very helpful but THIS IS NOT THE COMPLETE WALKTHROUGH OF THE DECK. I wonder why you didn’t say anything about “The Master” from the Major Arcana group. I bet it isn’t by any mistake. If the master isn’t in normal tarot but in this Osho Zen Tarot deck, you should mention it. because of the title of your article. Thanks
I think, the meaning of No-thingness compared with the high prist is because as you read the book, It talks about that gap, that moment of no-thingness where you literlly look into the nothingness of your soul and wait to find something. Like waiting for instruction from somewhere, perhaps, the universe? The high prist is the one incharge of teaching us, there fore, giving us the instruction? The bridge between God and us…. Thanks for this review, I have been looking for another tarot other than the rider white, which is the one Im learning with, and I love the system…I’ve gone through many reviews of many different tarots, and I think, I will conect with the Osho Zen very well…thanks again and I hope it made sense my explanation of the cards…
Just an opinion to the card V The hierophant – both ideals speak of the connection to the spiritual (is an existence that we cannot see with our eyes, its not tangible). Both ideals speak of the capability of create and impose rules and normas (one with rules allready stablished and the other creating new rules).
Lisa I’ve been working with the Osho and I’m obsessed so I was like let me go watch someone talking about him…. And of course I went straight to you knowing this was the deck you learned on and you did not disappoint… loved your take vs RWS (My first deck) and it didn’t seem long at all ❤Loved every minute!!!
Thank you for this side by side, I have debated this deck and heard such mixed messages about it. one has been about its creators and the other the differences with RWS. I love how you compare and contract the two decks and show you can apply the RWS to this deck and “see it” in the images. And I love your merry-go-round analogy.
Lisa Don’t apologize for the length this was exactly what I needed. I bought this deck last year for spiritual and shadow work I LOVE the images. and keywords but for some reason couldn’t get a total understanding so it sat on the shelf. After perusal this I took it out did a simple reading for myself and WHOA!!! A powerful understanding and instant connection !!! Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!💜💜💜💜💜💜
just an honest feedback, as someone that meditates daily I felt thrown off by how fast you are speaking. I get it you have lots to share but since the article will be long anyway may be worthy to take some deep breath here and there. Who is interest will stick around anyway. I couldn’t because the way you are rushing into descriptions is giving me anxiety. Take care and I hope this helps offering a different prospective.
By showing a trimmed deck online, you are creating a derived work from the author’s original untrimmed deck. For personal use that is probably OK, but by displaying that trimmed deck online, you are probably creating a derived work. Ordinarily, reviewing a deck is fair use. But showing a trimmed deck, the legalities are not clear. Of course, as a practical matter, the copyright holder does not care, because the review probably makes him money. The right to create a derived work is one of the privileges of the copyright holder.