Q: I have an Osho Zen Tarot card deck that I’m still getting to know and understand. I was trying to match up the Major Arcana cards with the traditional tarot deck (Rider-Waite) and I’m not sure which is which.
~ Carla
A: Even though the Osho Zen Tarot is based on the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, most of the Major Arcana card names differ. Because the Osho Zen Tarot is a creative reinterpretation of the Rider-Waite Tarot, it isn’t always clear which Osho card corresponds to which Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot card. The Osho Zen Tarot usually comes with a book that makes it all quite clear, but if you don’t have the book, its easy to get lost!
Below I have matched up the Osho Zen Tarot cards to their Traditional Rider-Waite Major Arcana counterparts (Osho cards are in bold):
0 Fool – The Fool
1 The Magician – Existence
2 The High Priestess – Inner Voice
3 The Empress – Creativity
4 The Emperor – The Rebel
5 The Heirophant – No-Thingness
6 The Lovers – The Lovers
7 The Chariot – Awareness
8 Strength – Courage
9 The Hermit – Aloneness
10 The Wheel of Fortune – Change
11 Justice – Breakthrough
12 The Hanged Man – New Vision
13 Death – Transformation
14 Temperance – Integration
15 The Devil – Conditioning
16 The Tower – Thunderbolt
17 The Star – Silence
18 The Moon – Past Lives
19 The Sun – Innocence
20 Judgement – Beyond Illusion
21 The World – Completion
The Master (This is just an extra Osho Zen Tarot card that is unique to this deck – there is no Rider-Waite equivalent)
Minor Arcana
Each Minor Arcana suit in the Osho Zen Tarot is represented by a different element
Pentacles – Rainbows
Swords – Air (grey)
Cups – Water (blue)
Wands – Fire (red)
Court Cards
The different court cards in the Osho Zen Tarot are identified by a triangle on the bottom of the card.
King – Upright triangle
Queen – Inverted triangle
Knight – Left pointing triangle
Page – Right pointing triangle
You may want to print this out and use it as a quick reference while working with your Osho Zen deck. Hope it helps!
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Thanks , clear about 21 cards, what is equivalent for other 57 cards…
I am new in understanding the significance of the Tarot Cards. What does the Completion Card mean?
thank you!
I m not sure but may be i lost my connection with my osho zen tarot deck and I m afraid to tell this to my teacher cz the 3rd is not yet done. So what should I do to reconnect with it??
Have you been able to fimd an answer to this question? I’m interested and curious….
Can u pls share how does heirophant n No thingess relate
The Hierophant is the High Priest and an elevated Teacher, leading others toward oneness with all, including Source. In oneness, there is no distinction between things. In short, you become comfortable in your state of not being a thing, hence “no-thingness.”
Just bought a deck. I am excited by how loudly they speak to me. Thank you so much for the comparison it is so helpful, I normally read the Goddess deck so on a standard level I was lost.
Hi Kate,
Why are there 2 different Suppression cards in the Osho Zen Tarot? Why and when did it change? I also notice that the diamond color in the Master card changed from purple to blue. Is there a significance for this change?
Thanks,
Bobby
I am very thorough with Osho zen Tarot cards. I just bought RW Deck. Was finding an easy way to understand them. Your article will definitely help to associate the RW cards with those of Osho Zen. Thanks a lot.
I wanted to know if there is specific meaning if the RW cards open as reversed (upside down)
hi preeti,I am Preeti too,just started learning Osho Zen Tarot can u please guide me.
Thank you im pursuing rider card it will help lot to understand differences between osho cards 🙂
This is very helpful, thank you.
I’ve got an Osho card that I can’t identify – Consciousness.
It’s a grey diamond, no number, no triangles.
What does this correspond to in a traditional deck?
Thank you.
Hi Louise, I believe this is the Ace of Clouds/Swords. The diamonds that are solid in color are aces.
Cheers,
Kate
It’s a Ace of Swords
Thank you for this! I couldn’t find on your list “lazyness”, “sharing” and “participation”, could you help me please?
These are all minor arcana cards. Look at the diamond at the bottom with the number in it – notice the color. It’s blue, which means it’s water/cups. Fire/wands is red, pentacles/rainbows is rainbow coloured and swords/air is grey. Sorry, I didn’t include that bit in my article and it probably would have been helpful. Since it’s blue and a 9, it corresponds to the 9 of cups.
Hope that helps 🙂
Laziness is 9 of cups
Participation – 4 of wands
Sharing- queen of wands
Thank you for this correspondence chart! Am giving a reading next week online, will be using my decks, she’ll be using hers, and this will help me align us quickly in mirror layouts. Also love the way you approach the cards with warmth and humor on your blog. Tarot blessings!
Thank you Tania 🙂 I’m happy to hear you will be putting my chart to good use!