The World At A Glance
Keywords: Completion, happy ending, total success, achievement, wholeness, harmony, lack of closure, incomplete, emptiness
Season: Spring
Zodiac/Planet: Saturn
The World Tarot Card Description
The World last of the major arcana cards in tarot and numbered as 21. Often The World card’s art shows a naked woman dancing with a baton or wand in each hand, surrounded by a wreath or sometimes an ouroboros.
Her joyful movement shows that balance and harmony is obtained by movement and reaction. It is not static but ever-changing and flowing like life itself. She is being watched by four creatures in each corner, a lion, bull, man and eagle.
These are the same creatures featured in the corners of The Wheel Of Fortune card and just like in that card, here too, they represent the suits of the minor arcana within tarot and the four classic elements, symbolizing the entirety of the universe.
The World Upright Meaning
The World card symbolizes wholeness and completion. It means a moment of profound enlightenment where the self becomes one with the universe. We hear the music of the universe that the lady within the card dances to and we sway in unison with her and in turn the universe too.
>This card says we have reached complete and utter achievement in an area of life that is very important to us. Whatever we were attempting to finish we have done so in the most positive and victorious way. The pride and satisfaction that we feel is enlightening.
But with every happy ending there will always be a new beginning. So what do we do now? That’s the best bit: the answer is anything we choose because the world is our oyster and the universe will support us.
“Envision, create, and believe in your own universe, and the universe will form around you.” - Tony Hsieh
The World Reversed Meaning
If The World card appears reversed it is still about completion but its darker side: unsatisfactory ending or an inability to complete what we started. We may feel like there is something missing or perhaps we are struck by delays outside of our control. We feel like we have been cursed to never finish this goal or project.
It could also mean that we do complete the project but there is no satisfaction in it and it leaves us feeling empty and that we’ve wasted our time. This card says that we must either keep going and change our process so that we are more efficient (work smarter not harder.)
Or we need to check in with our emotions and see if completing this project is still what we want. Walking away is a valid option and we shouldn’t vilify this decision if it serves us better than staying does.
“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” - Jimmy Dean
The World: Yes or No
If we ask a yes or no question in tarot and we receive The World card then we can breathe a big sigh of relief because we can expect a positive outcome. Whether positive is yes or no is up to the reader and the nuance of their question.
For example there will be some questions where a no is the desired outcome. However if this card comes to us reversed then it is referring to the outcome that we were hoping to avoid.
Let’s Break Down The World In Our Lives
The World means different things when it discusses different areas of our lives. Let’s break it down and fins out.
The World In Love
If the reader has asked a question about love either romantic or platonic and The World card appears then it can suggest we feel so abundant in love and we are truly grateful for our loved ones and want to express this love to them.
Sometimes we can get in our heads and get tongue-tied or feel awkward at expressing our love but the World card says to ignore that and reach out to our loved ones in whatever way feels natural.
Reversed The World in love can mean we are taking our loved ones for granted and they are feeling very low because of this. Sometimes other areas of life can get in the way and temporarily we may not spend as much time with our loved ones but if this has become a habit then it’s time to make changes so that our loved ones are a priority once again.
The World With Money
If The World card appears when a question about money has been asked it is suggesting we will complete the financial goal we are working towards sooner and more successfully than we thought.
Reversed The World with money means we may be putting too much faith or energy in to the acquisition of money. It’s nice to have financial security but money doesn’t being happiness. The pursuit of money for its own sake can be quite detrimental to our mental health. This card asks us to pursue what really matters to us.
The World At Work
When asking a question about a situation at work or about our careers The World card can mean we are fulfilling our career path, retiring or otherwise celebrating a completion of a long term project.
Reversed The World at work suggests we have come so close to the goal but struck out narrowly missing it. We must not allow ourselves to see this as a loss. We all know the saying about shooting for the moon and hitting the stars. So let’s make sure we put toxic perfectionism to bed and instead reframe this mentally as a success.
The World With Others
If we are asking about our external world, either our immediate world of people we know or the world at large and we get The World card as an answer it means we are validated and valued within our community. We know our purpose and we are accepting and proud of where we stand.
Reversed The World with others can signify that there is something preventing us from participating in our local and larger community. Our insecurities or fear are inhibiting us from living the life we want for ourselves. This card asks us to lean on others for support and not to try solve this alone. Our community will help us feel whole again.
The World With Self
The World card relates to our internal world by suggesting we have reached a place of gratitude and wholeness. We have healed our trauma and are self actualized. We are now drawn to helping others and using our skills and talents to serve our community.
Reversed The World card with self can symbolize we feel low despite on the surface having a nice and pleasant life. There is something fundamental to our happiness that is missing. This card asks us to find it and gift this to ourselves. We must tell ourselves that it’s not a luxury it is as vital to us as air.
The World As Feelings
The World as a feeling is pure achievement. We have limitless potential and we feel capable and confident that we can reach that potential. In short we feel like superheroes that can move mountains. It is an incredibly powerful and addictive feeling.
