According to Osho, the rose and the cactus symbolize the mind’s restless swing between opposites—trading one fashion for another out of boredom and hunger for sensation. We tire of the rose, install the cactus, then reverse. This oscillation drives political alternation, changing partners or gurus. Only heartful steadiness dissolves mind’s fickleness, revealing timeless consciousness.
It means our mind gets bored and keeps swapping the rose for the cactus, but if we stop chasing new things and stick with one, the mind calms and peace appears.