OSHO Zen Tarot Study Group: The Master....

Stoozor

I saw this card come up in the situations where someone is overestimated, where someone is considered as a master when they shouldn't.

I explain.


The Master occupies the position of the fool : 0 and 22.
As someone has already said, this position is the position of the fool who has just finished a journey and who is about to start another one.
It symbolizes someone who has attained a good level of consciousness but still has a lot to learn. In a way, isn't what Rajneesh was? Theoretically, he was a good teacher, but practically, he was far from being a zen master.

I did a relationship spread for a friend I held in very high esteem. My personal card was The Innocence, while her personal card was The Master. What was on my side of the spread was positive and worthy (or about to be) of the man on the Innocence card, while what she had on her side wasn't worthy of a good master (Morale, Schizophrenia, Politics). From what I saw, she had things to learn from me through our relationship and those were the kind of things that someone I held in so high esteem should already have known.

It also came up as the "Problem" card for a friend of mind who thinks that she doesn't really deserve the fame she has. People admire her and think she so great because she is like The Rebel. She doesn't like being overestimated because she knows that people will end up being disappointed when the illusion fades away.
 

Fostha

Stoozor said:
I saw this card come up in the situations where someone is overestimated, where someone is considered as a master when they shouldn't.

I explain.


The Master occupies the position of the fool : 0 and 22.
As someone has already said, this position is the position of the fool who has just finished a journey and who is about to start another one.
It symbolizes someone who has attained a good level of consciousness but still has a lot to learn. In a way, isn't what Rajneesh was? Theoretically, he was a good teacher, but practically, he was far from being a zen master.

I did a relationship spread for a friend I held in very high esteem. My personal card was The Innocence, while her personal card was The Master. What was on my side of the spread was positive and worthy (or about to be) of the man on the Innocence card, while what she had on her side wasn't worthy of a good master (Morale, Schizophrenia, Politics). From what I saw, she had things to learn from me through our relationship and those were the kind of things that someone I held in so high esteem should already have known.

It also came up as the "Problem" card for a friend of mind who thinks that she doesn't really deserve the fame she has. People admire her and think she so great because she is like The Rebel. She doesn't like being overestimated because she knows that people will end up being disappointed when the illusion fades away.

Hi Stoozor,if you post this reading on "your readings",im sure many others will throw their tuppence worth in on it,and give you some bright ideas on this spread. Osho-zen is one of my decks too.(i feel like i know you already)
 

Sanctum_Priest

I've only just got this deck so I can't claim to be an expert, but my first impression having read the above is that it can really only be used for self awareness and not for "reading" where you're trying to identify other people/events. I know I'm saying this because I'm more interested in the psychological aspects of tarot, but what greater truth do you need than the advice at the top of this thread: "The Master In Zen is not a master over others but a master of himself."
 

rubes

Wow, it's been a long time since anyone's posted in this thread (and a long time since I've been here). What interesting and insightful comments.

I am so touched by this deck - it resonates so well with me and my readings. And yet, I too have had great trouble with the Master card. I'd always wanted to see it as self-mastery, but knowing the truth of Osho and the nonsense he perpetuated, I simply can't. It simply doesn't work. Removing it felt for a long time somehow dishonorable!? I gave this deck away years ago (moving, and had to lighten up) and am purchasing it again. I love it. I just do. So, this is what I've come to. I'm the reader. I could draw 10,000 pictures and decide for myself what they mean. Given that, I am choosing to remove the card and loosening up my hesitation and insecurity about it. Allowing myself to feel somehow I "shouldn't" remove it is just allowing that same propaganda/fear to unsettle me. Bless him wherever he is, but I don't want his "personage" in my deck. There's fully all in these cards, and whatever goodness he DID give to the world must be reflected anyway, so no loss.

I'd love to hear if any of you have come to any other conclusions about this since you wrote.

Bless, rubes

Happy HolyDays all
 

Zezina

It really seems significant that rubes has just re-opened this thread that has lain fallow for two years. Because my Osho Zen Tarot deck arrived in our letterbox this week and I just had time to look quickly through the deck and enjoy its beautiful card-backs. Then I looked up Osho Zen on Google and watched a video of Osho Zen himself, which I found disturbing.

Then I came away for couple of days, leaving my new Osho Zen Tarot deck at home.

And now, this thread re-opened just in time for me to read it. I think this thread and my new deck must surely be a part of my own journey of understanding.
 

fyreflye

...I too have had great trouble with the Master card. I'd always wanted to see it as self-mastery, but knowing the truth of Osho and the nonsense he perpetuated, I simply can't. It simply doesn't work.

What do you actually know about Osho other than the propaganda you've read or heard about him? Why do you think it's the "truth"? Why do you think it's "nonsense"?

Allowing myself to feel somehow I "shouldn't" remove it is just allowing that same propaganda/fear to unsettle me.

Isn't removing the Master card also allowing propaganda and fear to unsettle you? Remove the card if you wish, but he's in every other card of the deck as well.
 

Masa

I'm so glad I found this thread. I think this is the most aesthetically beautiful deck I've ever seen, but I'm from Oregon, too. I hadn't realized Osho and Rajneesh were the same person. Egad.
 

missy

"The Master in Zen is not a master over others, but a master of himself. His every gesture and his every word reflect his enlightened state."Osho Zen Tarot, by Osho

I like seeing this card as self-mastery. Self-control is one of the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians, which I connect to this card.

:heart:

I read through this thread, but since I am not as involved in the debate here, I will say that what rang true to me is what was posted about this card having to do about one being a master of oneself.

I have just now received my deck :D and have done my first reading with it. This was the very first card I pulled.

I like this card. I have no problems with this card. But I am not reading anything into this card, as in, this card does not symbolize any person to ME personally.

What does it mean to me? What Indigo Rose posted. :)

So for me, it was very, very helpful in this reading, because in fact I am in a real struggle right now, and I do need help with this concept. Mastery of oneself.

I like the figure on the card, as he reminds me of Gandalf in the moonlight. :D Again, I don't have a point of reference, but I don't want to get involved in the issues behind these cards; I just want to enjoy the cards for what they are. :)
 

danieljuk

This card appears in the book after card 21 Completion (traditionally The World) and has no number and I see this as a card after the major arcana (in traditional decks). This is mastering something like spirituality. Obviously the person in the card represents Osho because it looks like him and I think the intention of this card when it was created was positive. He is the master of his spirituality, philosophy and his life. Mastering yourself is the positive take on this or mastering a part of your life.

But there is another side of Osho that you can read about online and the things that happened and he had a part of. How you want to take them in your own life or what you want to believe is up to you but the Osho philosophy is forever tainted by this. This is my personal opinion but Osho did things that were against his teachings and the community he set up that followed his beliefs. He mastered and passed on some great things and philosophy. But also he took actions that were in his own self interest and there is stories from people involved of very dark things. This card was created for a positive "self mastery" type theme but it's tainted, just like he is and that is why it makes us feel uncomfortable (and grizabella doesn't like looking at it).

Perhaps the moon trickling down into his beard represents spiritual knowledge, or wisdom or a skill. It's light or energy that is coming down to him.

There is a line with this card where you master something or you go too far and become selfish, greedy and only out for yourself. This card these days represents that line! It's theme ultimately is looking out for yourself and bettering your own self interests and ironically that goes against Osho Zen philosophy but that is why it's an uncomfortable truth. Leaders of religion, communities and politics have a fine line between leading and inspiring and sharing what they have mastered in their lives and using it negatively to benefit themselves. Sometimes it can even be both things, helping others and helping yourself from it. The sharing in this card is sharing how to master your own self interests and it's a difficult card for me to take in my own life philosophy. To Master something you have to be a bit selfish and look after yourself but how much is that at the cost of others? Is it getting to the top at any cost? There is a "line" with this card like I said before and it moves from positive to negative in my readings but it is a difficult and an uncomfortable card because it's not straight forwards positive.
 

martin_sylvian

With or without a master?

Hi, I'm new to this forum so please bear with me.

I have been using the Osho pack for sometime but agree that the card "The Master" can give mixed feelings. Osho did attract controversy and it is up to each person how they view him. I cam to him from his writings on love and relationships which I think were very good.

Coming from a more traditional Rider Waite background and having read a bit on Kabbalah and Tarot, it stuck me that the addition of the Master put everything out of balance. Against this you could say that the intention of the pack is not to follow traditional lines.

I agree with others that whatever one thinks of Osho the imagery is strange. I know of no other spread that includes a separate card of the originators image. There are so many packs out there it might be there are other ones?.

Does anyone know how much input, if any, Osho had in this deck. Was it designed after he died?.

Like others I have considered removing the master card but have not done so yet. I feel changing the deck is somehow not right. However every time the card comes up in a spread I think it should not be there. Has anyone tried doing readings without the card and if so did it result in an improvement.