XXI

THE WORLD

"Attainment & Liberation"

Rider Waite Tarot

Pamela Coleman Smith

1909

Earth – Saturn

- upright -

· Fulfilment

· Completion

· Totality

· Wholeness

· Achievement

· Sense of Belonging

· Harmony

· Success

· Satisfaction

· A Dancing Spirit

· Completing Milestones

· Evolution

· Stagnation

· Meaningless Repetitive Existence

· Lack of Closure

· Feeling Incomplete

· Emptiness

· Taking the Shortcut

· Unfulfilled

· Delays

- Reversed -

Earth – Saturn

Rider Waite Tarot

Pamela Coleman Smith

1909

- upright -

· Fulfilment

· Completion

· Totality

· Wholeness

· Achievement

· Sense of Belonging

· Harmony

· Success

· Satisfaction

· A Dancing Spirit

· Completing Milestones

· Evolution

- reversed -

· Stagnation

· Meaningless Repetitive Existence

· Lack of Closure

· Feeling Incomplete

· Emptiness

· Taking the Shortcut

· Unfulfilled

· Delays

Indication:

The great task has been brought to completion.
This new completion is, at the same time, a new beginning on a higher level of being.
The events in your life are in harmony with the universe.
The boundaries of your small “I” dissolve in your dance with the One.

Question to Ask:

How can you set yourself free?
Is there a journey or an enterprise awaiting you to set it in motion?

Affirmation:

I am whole and complete.
I am one with the universe.

Everything in the universe moves, the Earth around the Sun, the Sun within a galaxy, the galaxies in the clusters, all cycling around each other. There is no center. Yet the center exists, everywhere. For in a dance, the dancer does not move around any arbitrary point in space, but rather the dance carries its own sense of unity focused around a constantly moving, constantly peaceful center. Nothing and everything, all at once. The dancer has not lost her physical being, her root in material, sexual reality. Instead, the energy is constantly flowing, transformed and renewed. The dancer expresses and unites all different sides of being.

— RACHEL POLLACK, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot (1980)

The Glastonbury Tarot

Lisa Tenzin-Dolma

1999

The Glastonbury Tarot

Lisa Tenzin-Dolma

1999

01. The World signifies catharsis, congruence, completion, and the ultimate unity of inner and outer self. Everything is connected. The World embodies nirvana and enlightenment, the ecstatic realization that the individual is forever joined with the larger whole. The World celebrates the summit reached, union attained. And with this realization comes an uncontainable joy. It asks for gratitude and revelry, the joining in with great cosmic dance. The student has become master, and just as the World card marks the end of one quest, it also hail the beginning of another.

02. To encounter The World is to encounter a great unity and wholeness. It symbolizes the moment when the inner and the outer worlds – self and other – become a single entity. You are glowing with a sense of wholeness, achievement, fulfillment, and completion. You have finally accomplished your goal or purpose, and you are now reveling in the sense of closure and accomplishment. Everything has come together, and you are in the right place, doing the right thing, achieving what you have envisioned. You feel whole and complete.

Ethereal Visions Tarot

Matt Hughes

2022

Ethereal Visions Tarot

Matt Hughes

2022

Waite Trinick Tarot

John B. Trinick

1921

Waite Trinick Tarot

John B. Trinick

1921

03. The World invites you to reflect on your journey, honor your achievements, and tune into your spiritual lessons. Celebrate your successes and bask in the joy of having brought your goals to fruition. All the triumphs and tribulations along your path have made you into the strong, wise, more experienced person you are now. Express gratitude for what you have created and harvested. If loose ends still remain, The World card asks you to bring them to completion. In doing so, you will clear the space for new beginnings and opportunities to emerge. Look back at your past experiences, acknowledge how far you have come and what you learned along the way. This reflection may also be what you need to bring your project to its final stages.

04. More literally, The World can mean world travel, particularly on a large scale. You may be embarking on a six-month overseas trip, or are working, studying or living overseas for an extended period. This card reinforces universal understanding and global awareness, and you will find a new appreciation for people and cultures from across the world. It can also indicate a desire to give back to the community in various ways. You have a commitment to make the world a better place because you understand that everything is connected.

Thoth Tarot

Aleister Crowley & Lady Frieda Harris

1943

Thoth Tarot

Aleister Crowley & Lady Frieda Harris

1943

Magie Noire Tarot

Giancarlo Carloni

1979

Aquarian Tarot

David Palladini

1988

05. The World reversed suggests that you are seeking closure on an issue. In order to accept and embrace where you are now, you need to let go of the past and move on.

06. The World reversed can signify that you are taking the shortcut to attain your goal. But this easier route won’t lead to the outcome you intended or the gratification that comes from true accomplishment. You need to experience the trials and tribulations along the way, in order to fully learn and grow. Don’t be afraid to set stretch goals for yourself, even if it means hardships or challenges; it will make the final victory even sweeter.

07. The World reversed can also indicate a frustrating delay in completing your goals. You may miss an essential piece, or you may lose focus and slack off right at the end. You only have a short way to go, so why stop now? You may need to get more creative to figure out how to touch the finish line. Re-energize and remind yourself how wonderful life will be once you accomplish the goals you set out.

Since tarot is an image-forward symbolic system, I find it helpful to look at the different variations of the same card, allowing me to have a more comprehensive understanding of each tarot card.
See if you feel connected to one of the cards more than the others.

Tap or hover over each image for the deck information.