What does the World card mean?
The world tarot card is the final card of the major arcana. This card holds a powerful energy, one of completion and success.
There are many times when the world may appear in a reading, sometimes to signify an ending and other times to signify something that you've finally accomplished. Drawing this card helps you gain insight as to where you're at in your journey or how a particular situation has unfolded.
Full of symbolism, encouragement, and ease, the world card appears in a tarot reading at the end of a journey, at a time when you can reflect back on the past few weeks, months, or years and realize just how far you've come.
World Tarot Card Associations:
Element
Earth
Zodiac
Leo, Taurus, Aquarius, and Scorpio
Planet
Saturn
Keywords
A Major event, world travel, successful completion, emotionally attached, long journey, universal understanding, completing a financial goal, wholeness, completion, achievement.
Imagery
At the center of the World is a bare-skinned woman draped in a blu scarf. She holds two wands in her hands, looking back over her right shoulder. Surrounding her is a green wreath tied with a red bow on top.
Outside of the wreath are four figureheads. Each head is positioned at one corner of the card.
There is a man, a lion, an eagle, and a bull.
Each of these heads is surrounded by a mystical cloud.
The background of this card is simply the sky; there is no land pictured at all.
How the World Tarot Card Meaning is Derived from its Imagery
The world tarot card meanings are associated with the completion of a journey or an end and gaining a sense of fulfillment. You can see this illustrated by the woman wearing what seems to be a winner's sash. The floating figureheads surrounding her represent different signs of the zodiac as well as natural elements. These symbolize the journey, the changing of seasons, and the process that has unfolded to get her to where she's at today.
The World in the Fool's Journey
In the Fool's Journey of the Major Arcana, the world suggests the ending of their journey.
Now, the fool's journey is never truly complete. But the current phase or stage in their life has been accomplished, and they have made it out on the other side.
Before the World is Judgement, which marks a time when one must either listen to their inner voice or turn back and continue repeating old patterns.
The World is a sign that the fool has continued to trust their gut instincts, taps into their intuition, and maintains a sense of hope and determination along their journey that has helped them reach the finish line.
The World Tarot Card Meanings
There are many meanings of the World as this Tarot card is one of the most significant of the Major Arcana.
These meanings aim to help the seeker determine whether they're taking one step forward or taking a step back away from their goals.
The World Upright Meaning
When upright, the world represents a time when you have reached the end of a particular journey or lesson within your life.
This lesson may have been full of mini-lessons that have helped you grow into the new version of yourself today.
This time is full of peace, clarity, inspiration, and fulfillment. Looking back, the world upright shows you just how important every roadblock along the way was and how you've managed to overcome great challenges and obstacles of the past.
Now, the world encourages you to have gratitude for where you're at and how far you've come.
The upright world tarot card description also urges you to move forward and find a new sense of fulfillment or start a new journey that helps you evolve and transform into an even greater version of yourself.
The World Upright in Love
When the world card invites youth, continue investing your time and energy into this relationship.
You've likely been through a lot of trials and tribulations with this person, not necessarily ones that are negative, but lessons that helped you strengthen the bond between you two, unlike any other.
If not, this card is simply a sign that this relationship has the potential to bring you true fulfillment, and it's a sign that they may be a soulmate and help bring you into your own sense of wholeness and completion within yourself.
If single, the world upright encourages you to find this sense of wholeness and completion within yourself, so you can find more happiness, peace, and joy all throughout your life.
The World Card in Reverse
The world reversed shows that you may not have a sense of fulfillment in a particular situation or goal.
This may be because you've failed or experienced obstacles within a long-term project.
When reversed, the world signifies the need to reassess where you're currently at in life and decide if your efforts are bringing you towards a better way of life or if your efforts are simply creating more of the same or something that won't eventually bring you happiness.
Take this time to really evaluate your efforts and make any changes where necessary. If you find yourself taking a few steps back, that's okay. The World reversed shows you that you aren't finished yet.
When the World reversed emerges in a Tarot reading, understand that it's not necessarily a bad thing. Taking a step back can be the quickest way to take ten steps forward. It's all part of your individual journey, and sometimes it takes putting yourself back where you were in order to find closure or discover how to move forward completely.
Reversed World Card for Love Meaning
Out of all the tarot cards, a reversed world can give you the insight and clarity you need regarding your love life. This card may appear if you're in a relationship that isn't necessarily going in the direction that you hoped it would. It's also a sign that if you continue with this relationship and don't make any changes on either end, it won't lead to fulfillment. Reflect on how you're contributing to the connection and how the other person is, and decide if any changes or boundaries need to be met. A reversed world may also be a sign that you shouldn't try to invest too much energy into a past relationship anymore and that it may be best to let go of the connection.
Why is the World the last Tarot Card in the Major Arcana?
The World is the last of the trump Tarot Cards and the end of the Fool's Journey. To understand its meaning, consider a journey in your life that you feel has come full circle. If you had built and sold your own business, enjoyed a long relationship that resulted in a family, or experienced another major event, you know what it's like to inherit "the World" of that domain.
When you complete a major journey, you have a newfound perspective where you can see it for all it is, both good and bad. You understand the nuances of it, and looking back to the beginning of the journey when you embodied the Fool, you cannot help but marvel at how clueless you were.
This is what the World Tarot card speaks to. It's seeing, knowing, and understanding everything within the realm of your adventure. The person who was once a Fool, embarking on a journey way over their head, is now an observer of the whole World. When you see this card in a Tarot reading, recognize that this is the concept it is touching on. Note that it is more about the perspective acquired rather than the virtue acquired, which is reflected in Temperance.
As we have discussed, when it emerges upright, it is about the completion of the journey. The World reversed is speaking to what is inhibiting completion of the Journey or progress forward.
Significance of the World
The world is a powerful card in the major arcana and can be used to determine whether or not you've made it through one of life's most challenging lessons.
Positioned as last in the tarot trump sequence, even if the road you've walked has been painful, the world is a sign of relief. You've made it to the gold at the end of the rainbow, and now you can use it to rebuild yourself, create the life you desire, and let go of anything that no longer serves you.
Final Thoughts on The World Card
The world is the embodiment of life. Life itself is an experience, one that comes in seasons and changes just as the moon phases, coming and going with the changing of the wind. Tarot decks contain symbolism that helps illustrate the various aspects of life, but the world card is much more comprehensive than that. The world is the culmination of life, much like the earth itself, and it reminds you that life is ever-changing, always flowing, and continuous, and as soon as you close one door, the next one opens.