Welcome to part 22 of my 22 part Tarot Meanings Deep Dive series – each week we explore ONE major arcana card and uncover it’s secrets, symbols and messages.
Today we’re diving into The World – the very last Tarot card in the Major Arcana! We’ve come full circle 🙂
Grab a notebook, pen, a hot cup of something good and settle in…
Keywords: completion, integration, wholeness, expanded horizons, celebration, voyage, flight/taking off, success, worldly, experienced.
Symbols:
nudity = innocence, freedom, comfortable in one’s own skin
purple ribbon = purple symbolizes divinity
“0” green wreath = coming full circle, The Fool, portal, cosmic egg/emergence
four heads in corners = the four elements, wholeness, integration
red ribbon infinity symbols (on wreath)
posture (dancing feet, open arms) = similar to The Fool
Dark Side: no dark side. This card is all about integration and bringing it all together. While other Majors can be though of as having two sides (like a coin), The World is like a sphere.
1) Completion
The World symbolizes the completion of The Fool’s journey and all the achievement, success and celebration that comes with it.
We began this series with The Fool – young, naive, trusting and optimistic, he sets out for an adventure not knowing what joys, terrors, pain and ecstasy await him. This journey takes us through all the Majors and with each card, a new experience is had and a new lesson is learned.
The World is the last stop on this journey and despite all her worldiness and experience, she’s looking bright, fresh and has the same open posture as The Fool. While The Fool’s optimism and open heartedness came from naivety, The World’s open heartedness is based on experience and spiritual understanding.
Journalling questions:
♥ Where in your life have you come “full circle”? (from Fool to World?)
♥ In what ways are you more worldly than your younger self?
2) Wholeness & Integration
The World is all about becoming whole, integrating all parts of ourselves and everything we’ve learned and discovered. No matter what experiences we’ve had, we come to recognize their value in developing our spirit. The World has a higher, spiritual perspective and so acceptance and integration is possible.
Journalling questions:
♥ What does “becoming whole” mean to you?
♥ What aspects of self or your life experience do you find difficult to accept and integrate?
3) Openness & Connectedness
Whenever The World shows up in a reading, we’re encouraged to expand our horizons, think globally and see the connections that are everywhere! Think big and know that you have an impact.
When The Fool sets out on his journey, he see’s himself as separate from the world around him, whereas The World sees herself as an integral part of something. She knows that she is in everything and everything is in her.
Journalling questions:
♥ If you weren’t limited by time, space or money, what would you do?
♥ In what ways are you staying small? What stops you from being more open?
♥ What helps you feel more connected with yourself, others and the world in general?
4) Voyage/flight/taking off!
Since The World represents the completion of a journey, it’s also the stepping stone into a NEW adventure! The appearance of this card can show that you’re ready for the next step. As you gain momentum and achieve lift off, where will you be flying to next? Where will your next journey take you?
Journalling Questions:
♥ What new adventure/journey/voyage are you ready for?
The Wisdom of The World
Out of all the Majors, The World is the most “wise” because she’s seen and experienced it all! Yet look at her – she isn’t haggard and jaded like you might expect, but appears fresh and innocent, naked and dancing with a smile on her face.
She has found a way to use her experiences, her struggles, her trials and tribulations, her joys and successes in order to grow and expand and gain a certain understanding – a higher perspective. No matter where you are, you are on a path that will eventually lead to The World.