The World Tarot Card

Card Name: World, Universe, Space, Absolute

Category: Major Arcana, Being

Position: 21

The World is the last card of the entire group of Major Arcana in Tarot. It symbolizes a certain completion, the result of the work done. A person has worked hard and can rest in the Garden of Eden. He deserved love and universal respect. The Arcana gives calmness and self-confidence. But in the reversed form, the World hints at the loss of former responsibility. The querent goes on vacation and never comes back. Over time, any ruler turns into a homebody growing cacti on the windowsill. And although such a meaning of the reversed card is not so negative, you should still forget about past laurels.

Symbolism and Key Ideas of the The World

In Waite’s Tarot, on the World card, a naked girl is depicted, covered only with a purple cloth. In her hands, the heroine holds a two-sided wand. The figure of a young woman is set against the background of a blue sky, framed in a green wreath with scarlet ribbons. Each corner of the card shows the heads of living creatures – a man, an eagle, a bull and a lion. White clouds are visible here. Some tarologists believe that the girl on the Arcana is androgynous. This is a man with masculine and feminine qualities at the same time. In mythology, it is considered the crown of development. The card shows a woman’s breasts, but the lower part of the body is covered with a cloth.

Androgyne on the World Arcana symbolizes the completion of a great deed. It is an alchemical process designed to create the Philosopher’s Stone. A person reaches greatness and rises to the final stage of development. Four heads in the corners show the cardinal points, elements and qualities. They converged at one point in order to reward the hero or heroine. Wands in the hands personify power, both over the physical world and over the spiritual. Soaring in the air hints at lightness, beauty and grace. Androgyne can do absolutely anything without any effort. A wreath with ribbons indicates victory. It can also be read as Ouroboros – a symbol of infinity, flowing from one to another.

Meaning of the Upright The World Card

The universe, the highest manifestation, beauty, love or freedom.
Harmonious combination of opposites, settlement.
Internet, television and radio communication, and communication in society.
Movement or the end of a certain life stage.

In the upright position, the World shows the completion of some process. This is the final point with its inherent reward for labor. The card denotes great harmony, complete calm. Obstacles are left behind, all problems are settled. Also, the Arcana symbolizes freedom, love and forgiveness. This is lightness in the soul, not overshadowed by life’s troubles. The World also denotes the planet Earth itself. The card implies people, animals and everything manifested in the physical plane. In some cases, the last Major Arcana symbolizes movement around the world, travel. The Universe card represents the Internet, communication across long distances.

The numerical designation symbolizes a certain energy peak, transition. This is the moment when opposites merge and form something third. The World implies everything at once, the very diversity of life forms. That is why in some decks the card is called "Absolute". It shows both external and internal balance. Chaos has developed into a perfect pattern, and the observer can take part in this game. The Arcana is considered the crown of magicians – those who managed to achieve harmony in themselves will forever remain in it. And this is the highest reward for a soul tired of searching.

Love and Relationships (Upright)

Trust and mutual love in a couple, the ability to hear the other.
Established personal life and the presence of a family, the second half.
A quick acquaintance with a foreigner or a “man of the world”.
The ability to enjoy life even without a relationship, a partner.

In the spread for a love affair, the World is played as complete mutual understanding, absolute harmony. The couple knows how to listen and support each other. People are just happy together, despite all external circumstances. Partners are satisfied with their personal lives, close the need for acceptance, approval. Another card hints at the absence of problems in intimate terms. Lovers feel each other’s heart. This is true love without pitfalls. The questioning person may not be afraid of quarrels and any misunderstanding.

For lonely people, the World predicts the meeting of the right partner. But even now the querent is already in a harmonious state. He is relaxed, does not live with expectations. The right person will be attracted to such energy. Also, the card can talk about acquaintance with a representative of a different culture. Such a meeting is possible on vacation or on the Internet. In any case, the fortuneteller will be able to establish a personal life. What he achieved during the lonely period will help in communication with the opposite sex.

Career and Finance (Upright)

Work related to communication and also remote employment.
Successes in the current vacancy and good relations with the team.
Freelance; complete closure of all needs, freedom from debt.
A well-deserved pension or no need to get a job.

As a significator of activity, the World shows work through the Internet, social networks. They are also charities. In the context of the current situation, the World implies great achievements. The querent achieved the maximum at his place of work. He earned the respect of his colleagues and raised his salary. Now you don’t have to worry about anything. The card gives you the opportunity to relax and enjoy well-deserved benefits. Relationships in the team also do not give reasons for stress.

The financial situation is acceptable for the questioner. He can afford everything he needs. Here the World is played as freedom from credits, debts. A person is able to travel at any time. Such privileges are provided by remote work. Also, the Arcana speaks of the complete satisfaction of needs. However, each needs will be different, do not forget about it. In general, the card indicates contentment with the current situation. For some, it will be lost as a retirement or a life with dividends.

Health and Spirit (Upright)

Good reproductive ability and no disease.
Attractive appearance, balance of vitamins and minerals.
Calm state or ability to cope with difficulties.
Support for yourself and loved ones, help others.

The fallen World Tarot gives a positive meaning to the health spread. The Arcana shows the absence of any diseases, pathologies. Often the card falls on pregnant girls, symbolizing a new life. The World also denotes a beautiful attractive appearance. This is a memorable type. For men and women, the card implies a balance of hormones. So, the guys will have pronounced muscles, and the girls will have rounded shapes. For both, the Arcana promises good fertility.

The mental state is balanced. The World shows harmony in the soul. The questioner is full of energy, ready for any twists and turns of fate. His tenacity and tenacity are to be envied. He is able to calm others, instill faith and hope in them. This is what makes a person fall in love with himself. He is not accustomed to blaming his own problems on others. On the contrary, a person has enough energy to solve his own troubles and also to help loved ones. The querent is a great listener and motivator.

Situations and Questions (Upright)

A chance to climb to the top or take an important position.
Independence from all external negative circumstances.
Settlement of contradictions within or acceptance of the dark.
The ability to bring what has been started to the end or to sum up.

Most often, the World shows the highest achievements. In any field, the querent can become the first. Now he is at the peak of energy, and therefore easily copes with all difficulties. At the same time, external circumstances are not as important as the internal mood. The card just implies the ability to abstract and accumulate forces. Man is no longer chasing mirages – he can fulfill desires himself. For the first time, the querent controls fate, and not vice versa. On this card, there are situations when events unfold in favor of the questioner.

The dropped World asks questions: “How to be at the peak all the time?” and “How to combine opposites?”. The human psyche seeks to put everything on the shelves. Here, the card shows unconditional love, the acceptance of absolutely everything – both good and bad. The same lion and bull on the Arcana symbolize base manifestations of energy – anger, obstinacy, uncompromisingness. Personality should combine this with higher feelings. Gratitude will help you get through the tough times. After all, the same anger can help in a dangerous situation.

Spirituality and Karma (Upright)

Greatness of spirit, sublime state of mind and consciousness.
Discovery of a source of energy in yourself or a huge breakthrough.
A chance to complete the cycle of rebirth and reach nirvana.
Enlightenment, important tests in the last incarnation.

In the matter of spirituality, the meaning of the World takes on auspicious. Here the card shows outstanding achievements. A person becomes a true crown of nature, knows how to deny himself low desires. He worked long and hard in this direction, and now the moment has come. The Cosmos Arcana symbolizes the knowledge of hidden truths. The seeker understood the inner world, and then drew analogies with the outer. That Universe, which he discovered, endowed with true knowledge. This life can only be understood empirically – in one’s own experience. Books and other people’s words will not help in any way.

Karma is to finish everything. The World falls on a hard life. It’s time to pay off all your debts. But when a person fulfills his obligations, true freedom will await him. There is a chance to complete the cycle of rebirth in this material world. The soul is able to break out of the vicious circle if it manages to properly manage the allotted time. Now it is not worth aggravating karma with vile deeds. In this incarnation, you will have to accept and forgive a lot.

Meaning of the Reversed The World Tarot

Lack of attention, love and care from other people.
Rejection of oneself or one’s unique appearance.
Problems with feedback, live communication or the Internet.
An attempt to put on a mask so as not to show gentleness, kindness.

In the reversed position, the World does not acquire negative qualities. Balance and harmony are preserved, they just become less pronounced. Also, the reversed card symbolizes the lack of growth, development. The questioner has already achieved some heights and no longer wants to do anything. The current situation is completely satisfactory, no further progress is observed. At the same time, everyone will have their own comfort zone. Someone is satisfied with a personal island, and the other is a dorm room. The psyche gets used to any conditions, over time, the person does not even want to leave his familiar place. In addition, the reversed World means excessive softness, the inability to fight back.

Also, the position of the card personifies the denial of oneself or another person. The querent does not want to accept certain qualities. The World in the opposite view is played as a face control that is not passed. Sometimes the reversed Arcana implies an inability to express kindness, love. The fortuneteller suppresses these feelings in himself, does not want to seem like a weak person. In some cases, the World reversed is responsible for the lack of attention and care. One way or another, but the appearance of the card hints at a gap that is difficult to fill.

Love and Relationships (Reversed)

The absence of a twinkle in the eyes and just the habit of being together.
Long relationship or loss of former interest in each other.
Loneliness, which eventually liked, is not depressing.
Denial of the importance of interaction with gentlemen and ladies.

In the love spread, the reversed World shows an established relationship. The honeymoon is long over and the partners are used to each other. Their love affair is no longer so passionate. People don’t want to invent something, surprise the other half. So, everything is fine, and therefore there is no need to try. However, the current situation forces us to stand still, does not allow to develop further. Partners would rather prefer an evening in front of the TV than a joint outing in the mountains. Lost vigilance increases the likelihood of infidelity.

For lonely people, the World in the opposite form promises to get stuck in their own society. A person is simply used to living like this. He is so accustomed to the role of a hermit that he does not even think of any other way to interact with the world. The trap lies in this habit. The longer the period of loneliness lasts, the more comfortable it becomes. The meaning of building relationships, manifesting oneself in society is lost. But to get out of the psychological swamp, you should get out of the house more often, communicate with the opposite sex.

Career and Finance (Reversed)

Full dedication to work on the Internet, social networks.
Habitual position in the current place, stagnation in business.
Reducing of needs, just to work less.
Unwillingness to develop or open new horizons.

In the reversed form, the World still implies work related to the Internet, communications. But now the querent is stuck in its own activity. He lives in virtual reality, forgetting about everything in the world. Sometimes the position of the card can show earnings on games to the detriment of all other areas of life. As a significator of the current situation, the reversed Arcana speaks of a familiar vacancy. A person has reached the maximum and no longer wants to develop, move on.

In terms of finances, there is some stagnation. The World in the opposite sense hints at a decrease in needs, contentment with only what is available. But this approach to budgeting only encourages doing nothing. If a fortuneteller has enough oatmeal for breakfast and cans of sprats for lunch, then he will not try to earn more. Relatives may show dissatisfaction, but the questioner himself does not see a critical problem. It is much easier for him to moderate his appetites than to get up from his familiar place.

Health and Spirit (Reversed)

Sedentary lifestyle, dislike for sports, activity.
Injections of "beauty", tightening the oval of the face, lifting.
Inability to get out of the comfort zone, wake up.
Compliance to the detriment of oneself and also the fear of refusal.

If the card lay upside down in a health spread, then this is not a very negative sign. The World in the opposite sense simply shows the unwillingness to waste energy in vain. A person becomes slow, does not want to play sports. Directly the position of the card does not indicate the presence of diseases. However, in some cases, the reversed Arcana hints at artificial beauty, that is, plastic surgery. The querent is trying to keep his youth, so he turns to aesthetic medicine clinics.

The mental state is inert. Personality stuck in its comfort zone, stopped growing. The reversed World here will be lost as harmony, which begins to bother. A person is trying to maintain a balance at the expense of his own energy resource. He is ready to forgive a lot to the detriment of himself. Over time, the querent loses the ability to fight back and protect the boundaries. For those around him, he becomes comfortable and flexible. However, the inner space is filled with resentment and impotence.

Situations and Questions (Reversed)

The desire to streamline everything or minimize risks.
Small needs that are easy to satisfy.
Uncomfortable questions to yourself, shedding light.
An attempt to close oneself from a hostile environment or to escape.

In almost all situations, the reversed World shows a kind of stuck, stagnation. Even Paradise can get boring if you spend all your time there. In addition, a favorable environment makes it impossible to protect yourself and loved ones. If everything is cloyingly good, then there is no need to fight, to enter into conflicts. But here’s the catch – while the querent is trying to maintain harmony, someone is using it as bait. More agile individuals will sell tickets to paradise, cashing in on human weakness, softness.

Tarot World in the opposite form asks questions: “Why did I stop?” and “Am I really satisfied with everything?”. A person is often hampered by the fear of changing something. A shabby sofa and an old TV seem to guarantee peace of mind. Personality is simply fenced off from everything in the world, barricading the living room with boxes of fast food. To get out of prison, just look at how others live. Neighborhood plasma can awaken the desire to finally change your kinescope for something more modern.

Spirituality and Karma (Reversed)

Humility, which only destroys the psyche of the querent.
The desire to be convenient for everyone, the religion of "victims".
Inertia, transmitted through several generations.
The dilemma is to choose yourself or not to upset others.

In the context of spirituality, the reversed World is responsible for all religions built on the idea of non-resistance. The same Christianity calls to turn the left cheek, if hit on the right. Buddhism suggests enduring life’s hardships, because they will pass anyway. Following such principles, a person can simply lose respect for himself. He will turn into a convenient novice, whose views do not need to be reckoned with. Undoubtedly, for all despots such a "servant of God" is very convenient, beneficial. However, the person himself simply destroys himself from the inside, trying to suppress anger and discontent.

Karma is to overcome inertia. In this incarnation, the querent will have to fight with himself and those around him. The World upside down shows a comfortable, familiar environment that is not really one. A vivid example is when parents urge the child to be obedient and always stay in the middle, like everyone else. The personality itself strives for a bright manifestation of innate talents. As a result, there is tension that needs to be thrown out somewhere. And here the querent stands at a fork in the road. The rest of his life will depend on his choice. You can become happy or, conversely, unhappy, but not let your ancestors down.

The World as a Significator of a Person

If the World fell out directly, then the card shows kind cheerful people. At the same time, they are quite strict, they can make strong-willed decisions. The Arcana corresponds to Saturn – the planet of wisdom and strength. An example is Alexander the Great. In the 4th century AD, he managed to conquer the whole world. The king believed that luxury makes a person a slave, so he always sought to overcome something, to discover something new. And it was precisely this approach that allowed Alexander to forever inscribe his name in history.

Inverted, the World shows conservatives – people who are afraid to bring something new into their lives. In the 18th century, the Qing Dynasty ruled China. They tried to isolate her people from foreign influences. The government followed the traditional Chinese policy. However, this approach deprived the innovations discovered by the West. Then there was a crisis and the dam broke anyway. A similar situation was in the Soviet Union. There, the "Iron Curtain" deprived the inhabitants of everything foreign. But the crisis of the 90s showed the weakness of people unprepared for capitalism.

The World: Combination with other Tarot Cards

Advice and Warning of the The World Card

The upright World advises to act openly, with love and respect for others. The querent should show generosity. However, you need to remain persistent, not to leave the goal. The questioner is able to combine softness with steadfastness. At the same time, the card warns of the risk of stopping. Rest, a desire to retire will notify you of the beginning of degradation. Right now, all the doors are open to the fortuneteller – it’s a sin not to take advantage of this. While there is such a chance, you should squeeze the maximum. Life gave a whole box of ripe lemons, so the querent will have to work hard.

The reversed World advises to move away from the intended goals. Now you can just relax, forgetting about everything. Life, so, has created comfortable conditions for the questioner. Striving for something more will only deprive you of peace. It is worth looking around carefully and seeing the advantages of the current situation. But as a warning, the reversed Arcana speaks of the danger of remaining in place. Such a swamp sucks too quickly. The querent will not have time to look back, as he will already be in a dependent position. In order not to lose the last strength, you need to try to start working, to move in the necessary direction.

The World: Daily Card Meaning

As a card of the day, the World shows a day filled with only positive emotions. The fortuneteller can communicate with friends and relatives via the Internet or by phone. In any case, such conversations will be a joy. Also, the card may imply physical movement around the world. The querent deserved a rest, the right to go on vacation. Close people can give a ticket, call on a joint trip. In general, the Arcana symbolizes respect from others. Both in work and in personal relationships, a person will be successful. The querent will be able to keep the situations of interest under control.

The reversed World promises a relaxed day. The questioner can let go of the reins of control, allow himself a little rest. Here the position of the card will be played as an observation of others. For example, a day off can be spent watching a movie, video on social networks. The querent does not want to go anywhere, chooses to stay in a comfortable environment. There is also such an approach. There won’t be any major upheavals today. The questioner will feel weakness, a desire to lie down and rest. Sometimes it is worth doing nothing in order to gain energy for future achievements.