The World Tarot Card - Major Arcana Meaning

Discover the meaning of The World Tarot card, the indications she gives when it comes upright, reversed or combined with other cards and its possible application to the various facets of life and everyday issues.

The World is the twenty-first card of the Major Arcana in occult Tarot decks. The double-ended wand symbolizes infinite power, fullness, inner harmony and altruism in love. It is the meeting with the real "I". Discover the meaning of The World in the Tarot card, the indications it gives when it comes upright or reversed and its possible application to the various facets of your life and everyday issues.

The Major Arcana number tells you what stage you are in for a particular situation or problem. Ask the Tarot your question and interpret the Arcana according to its number and its position in the deck. These cards follow a storyline that tells of the spiritual travels taken from the innocent wonder of The Fool to the oneness and fulfillment of The World. In other words, these cards tell the story of humanity's spiritual evolution into enlightenment and individuation - when his life experiences are complete, he returns to zero, The Fool. Despite the divinatory meaning of the cards, think of the Tarot as a journey. If you look at the cards that come out in this way, with each question you ask, it becomes easier to intuitively interpret the cards and see their messages as a life story.

The World Tarot Card Description

  • Major Arcana XXI
  • Zodiacal Affinity - Saturn
  • Keywords - Fullness, self-fulfillment, freedom, cosmic love, fearlessness, evolution, material strength, full realization, spiritual strength, destiny, self-fulfillment, artistic inspiration, intuition, great inner harmony, expansion, reward, reward, health.
  • Key Expressions - Reward for hard work and effort, celebration of the "I" with others, fulfilled sense of life mission, finding a solution, feeling at peace with oneself and in harmony with all things.
  • Advice - Enjoy the success you deserve.
  • Reversed Meaning - There is no negative meaning to this good card, just that completion and reward may be delayed for some time.

The Illustration

The illustration in The World card shows a nude figure (a sign of purity and innocence), surrounded by a wreath, with a veil on her shoulders and a wand in her left hand. The veil covers sex, not being consensual among authors whether it is a male, female or androgynous figure. 

Despite her masculine features, she has long hair and, above all, a woman's breasts. In the four corners of the card four symbolic figures are seen: an angel, an eagle, a lion and a horse. The first four are surrounded by a halo.

As the last card of the Major Arcana, The World suggests the connection of the feminine world with the masculine, gender harmony and, therefore, its androgynous interpretation is highlighted by many. The circle of the wreath and the four animals also suggest harmony, the whole. In Kabbalah, this card corresponds to path number 32 on the Tree of Life: the foundation of the kingdom.

The Symbology

The World is always a positive card in any Tarot launch, as it means awareness of who you are, your personal limitations and choices. The consultant is taking on his personality and feels good in his skin. There is a harmony between the "I" and others. Everything flows effortlessly. 

The consultant feels great satisfaction with his life. In addition to personal acceptance, The World can also mean that you found your ideal partner or perfect vocation. Your path is clear and all obstacles are seen as an opportunity to achieve what you want.

The World Tarot Card Meaning

Upright World Meaning

  • Upright Love Meaning - Feeling loved and grateful, fulfilling romantic life.
  • Upright Career Meaning - Completing career goal, fulfilling career path.
  • Upright Finances Meaning - Completing financial goal.

The main message of The World is harmony. Thus, when it comes out in the right position in a Tarot reading, it suggests that the person's life is at the point she wants, or almost. But, even if you are still not completely satisfied, it is very short to get there and the objectives are clear. 

In love, it suggests that the current relationship is happy and that the consultant has found his better half. Live in love. Family and friends are present and bring even more harmony to personal life. In professional and financial terms, the goals are fulfilled or everything is viewed as intended.

Reversed World Meaning

  • Reversed Love Meaning - Missing something in love life, taking partner for granted.
  • Reversed Career Meaning - False measure of success, missing piece in career.
  • Reversed Finances Meaning - Close to completing financial goal, unfulfilled despite financial comfort.

This card is so positive, not even its reversed position is too negatively interpreted. It usually means that there is still some way to go and that some obstacles may be encountered. However, even these are seen as part of the journey and viewed with positivism. The reward for the effort made is not compromised. Its message is "don't lose hope, don't change direction". The most negative side of reading The World is an occasional feeling of envy for the success of others.

The World Combinations with Other Tarot Cards

If The World card comes out with The Magician reversed, the atmosphere will be agitated and possibly lived with a certain drama. This combination shows the need for the consultant to keep an objective, lucid and clear reasoning. With the card The Heliofant, it means great spiritual progress. The same message is conveyed with The Hanged Man, but in this combination the revelation could be of a mystical nature. With The Chariot, it indicates that the reward will be enormous, but the effort to achieve it will also be.

The Major Arcana Tarot

The Major Arcana, or Great Mysteries, are seen as symbols of great issues, moments or people. Each card represents a human archetype, evoking the most varied feelings, moral positions and behaviors.

Reading, Meanings and Interpretation of the Tarot Major Arcana

Tarot is used as a tool for self-discovery and self-knowledge. In this sense, more than guessing the future, it serves to read and interpret all the elements of our life: it describes the current moment, clarifies the motives, desires and intentions, pointing out the path and the energies present in our life.

The possible readings for each Tarot card are practically infinite. There is no unique interpretation for each card, for each layout of cards or for each reading method. Tarot is based on intuition. Each person who reads the message of a card, or a set of cards, intuitively unravels the meaning of the card's message and how it connects with their own reality and circumstances of life.

The word "arcana" comes from Latin and means "secret" and, in the Tarot, the Major Arcana are considered universal, symbolic and figurative: they are considered symbolic of great issues, moments or people. They are archetypes, that is, they represent the most diverse feelings, moral positions and human behaviors. When they appear in a reading, it indicates an important event or decision, whether practical, spiritual, or emotional. They also establish correspondence with the astrological signs and planets.