Tarot Practice - About Healing

The Osho Zen tarot is a beautiful deck of cards that are structured as a regular 78-card tarot deck but do not follow the traditional symbolism. Moreover the cards are given names that seem quite ‘non-traditional’ but make sense when you dig a little deeper. I often use it as an oracle to provide clarity on the ‘bigger’ questions of life, not just the mundane, everyday concerns.

The Layout: This is a four card reading that uses the tarot itself to elicit the question as well as provide the answer. I drew one card from the Osho Zen tarot deck that represents the question, and three other cards that provide the answers.

The question card I drew is named ‘Healing’ and it corresponds to the King of Cups in the traditional Rider Waite Smith (RWS) tarot.

Question:  What is Healing?

Answer 1: Healing begins with ‘Totality’

The card drawn, Totality, corresponds to the Five of Wands in the RWS tarot. It shows members of a group engaged in a complex maneuver. Every member’s participation and activity is crucial, they are operating as a unit. There is a feeling that you’re one of the cogs in this beautiful machinery. You realize the importance of working with others, of acknowledging and accepting their support. Perhaps for healing to take place, this is the first step – the recognition of ourselves as part of a group with a common, shared purpose. It could be the people you work with, your friends or family. The Totality of Life Experience is not just a sum of our individual experiences but also the collective experience of life that we share in our relationships with others.

Answer 2: Healing requires ‘Courage’

The card drawn, Courage, corresponds to the Strength card of the major arcana in RWS tarot. It shows a tiny flower making an arduous journey of courage to survive against all odds in a rocky, difficult environment. It is weak and has nothing to depend on but only a quiet courage and determination to live. It refuses to give up and ultimately thrives in an environment where nothing else seems to grow. Perhaps healing is about facing not only your inner weaknesses but also external difficulties with courage, patience and faith. Perhaps what can heal you is within you. You have to summon the courage to heal yourself.

Answer 3: Healing is important because ‘We are the World’

The card drawn is the Ten of Pentacles, which, in this particular deck, is named ‘We are the World’.

The tens in tarot are about change, cyclical completion and transformation. The card seems to resonate the meaning of the first card which was the five of wands. Five is the mid-point in the decimal number line (1-10), ten is its completion. While in the earlier card it is probably just the people we know and share our lives with, here we embrace the idea of a larger community. Here, we join hands with the world beyond our immediate borders instead of keeping ourselves separate from it.

Perhaps healing occurs when we realize we are all in it together, united not just by common causes or interests but by the fact of our basic underlying unity, our humanity. About feeling one with the joy and suffering of our fellow humans. Perhaps this attitude will not just enable healing in ourselves but also make us the healers for others.

Summary: The three cards together provide not just a map or a step by step action plan for how to heal ourselves but also empower us to move beyond our individual concerns and recognize the power we have to make a difference not just in our own lives but also in the lives of others. Courage as the middle card glows bright to remind us of what we are capable of. A humble flower shows the grace and light we’re capable of shining all around us.

Let the cards empower you to make a difference.

Have a wonderful day!