Disclaimer: Sage & Moon is a participant in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you choose to purchase through these links. Any product we choose is based on personal recommendations that we love and trust you will too. By using these links you are directly supporting us to keep writing + creating. Thank you!
The World Tarot Card Meaning
The World Tarot card meaning – The World is the 21st (XXI) card of the Major Arcana and represents completion, creation, beginnings/endings, realization, success, understanding, and unity.
At the end of the Major Arcana, we reach The World, representing completion and the end of a cycle. However, The World is not necessarily just a card of finality or endings – it is also about creation, new beginnings, and manifestation.
Spiritually, The World card reminds us that with every ending there is also a beginning. Humanity is in a ceaseless cycle of beginnings leading to endings and endings leading to beginnings.
Like Temperance, this card also teaches us that the creation of manifestation comes from dissolution, and dissolution is the eventual outcome of manifestation. The World symbolizes the synthesis of all elements and aspects of something into further development, a new creation, or a higher understanding.
Some questions The World invites you to ponder…
- What does completion or success mean to you?
- How have you experienced sudden understanding or completeness?
- How do you experience connection with the Divine?
- What are your highest aspirations? Where are you aiming to be?
- Have you experienced an ending that turned out to be a ‘blessing in disguise’?
In this post, we’ll be going over The World card’s Upright and Reversed meanings, as well as The World as a person (or significator) and The World as feelings.
Sometimes understanding a card’s symbolism and your intuition can be all that’s needed to interpret its message, however, awareness of the traditional meanings of The World card, as well as its emotional and personal elements, will help equip you with deeper intuitive insight and more comprehensive, perceptive readings.
Each time you complete an act of creation, you focus a life force. And since life begets life, this energy seeks to enlarge its expression through new creation. In this stage of completion, your being is ready for another act of creation.
– Robert Fritz
The World Keywords & Concepts
| Upright: | completion, creation, beginnings/endings, success, unity, understanding, realization |
| Reversed: | failure, delays, skepticism, unfinished business, unfulfillment, stagnation |
| Energy: | Yin |
| Element: | Earth |
| Planet: | Saturn |
| Zodiac Sign: | Fixed Signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) |
Common Symbols
- Hermaphrodite: the union of all aspects and resources into a single understanding
- Dancing: universal energy, joy, manifestation
- Four Cheribum: the four fixed signs of the Zodiac (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius), the four elements, the four seasons, the four suits of the tarot, and the four corners of the Universe
- Wreath: triumph, completion, success, achievement
Don’t have time to read? Check out this helpful video for key meanings of The World Tarot card!
The World Upright Meaning & Advice
The World Upright Interpretations: The World tarot card reveals you are residing peacefully amidst complexity. It can show being in the center of a crowded, all-encompassing environment occupying the focus of attention. Ecology, exploration, and a love and respect for the planet, the natural world, and the harmonious coexistence of all the elements. Joy at just being alive, excitement at a new endeavor, or satisfaction over successfully finishing a task. Happiness with your surroundings. Having a broad perspective and appreciating your life’s abundance. The capacity to establish healthy boundaries in the middle of an active and full lifestyle. The conclusion of a personal phase or journey.
When The World card shows up in your tarot reading, this can mean that you’ve achieved a milestone or reached the final stage of something. One cycle is ending so that another may begin. The world is literally calling to you with new opportunities!
The World Tarot Card Advice: Complete a cycle. Finalize or end a certain project or phase. Tie up loose ends. Consider your next step. Celebrate your successes. Get out and have fun! Travel. Experience new things, and broaden your horizons. Enjoy your life. Share your thoughts and views with others. Be at peace and know that you have all you need right now. Maintain healthy boundaries. Move on from what once was; embrace the new and now. Forgive. Let go. Evolve.
The World Reversed
The World Reversed Interpretations: The World Reversed can reveal uncertainty and reluctance, as well as a lack of movement or stagnation. It is feeling there is too much to handle in your life, whether it be the complexity of a circumstance. Being trapped in a circumstance. It can also signify a constrained, constrained perspective of the world and stubbornness, especially sticking to one viewpoint without taking other people’s experiences into account. The World Reversed shows you or another cannot grasp the full picture. There is an opposition to novel concepts. Unbelief or skepticism. Not upholding appropriate boundaries. You may be adjusting to a new environment and acquiring new skills while still finding your bearings.
The World Reversed means that you are having a hard time moving forward and trusting in your own journey. You could be struggling with sadness, uncertainty, and not feeling ready to move on to the next chapter of your life. Achievement of something may be blocked or delayed for now. The reversal of The World can bring imbalance, ‘unfinished business’, stagnancy, and a victim mentality.
The World Reversed Advice: Restore balance in your world. Simplify things. Let go of what isn’t serving you. Move on. Tend to unfinished business. Reflect on how you create your world through your choices. Do the inner work needed to heal. Accept responsibility for your own thoughts and actions. Travel plans may be disrupted. Accept that you may not be able to change something right now. Pause and take things one step at a time. Withdraw from the world for a bit and focus on yourself. Consider whether your current beliefs or views may be flawed. Examine if you are maintaining healthy boundaries + respect for yourself and others. Release what needs to be released.
(tarot decks are hyperlinked to each photo throughout this post; we may earn a commission should you purchase a deck.)
The World as a Person
The World tarot card represents a balanced, enterprising, successful individual. The World is someone that others admire, respect, and look up to. Wise beyond their years, they have a very high level of spiritual understanding. Their advice is sound and often peppered with incredible intuitive insight.
The World people prefer to do things their own way – they are not keen to tie themselves down to social standards or rules. An adventurous and ambitious soul, The World person knows how to use all of their energy and resources around them to create what they desire. Because they are highly energetically attractive, they are often master manifestors. This person is always evolving and seeking new experiences, insights, and understanding.
As a person, The World tarot card can also signify someone who has a fixed sign (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) as their Sun, Moon, or Rising sign in their astrological natal chart. Fixed signs are stable and function to follow through on what they’ve started – they root in and cause things to flourish. The World as a person could also be Saturnian in nature or have prominent Earth placements/Earth dominance in their chart.
The World (Reversed) as a Person
As a person, The World Reversed describes someone who needs guidance. They could be rather inexperienced, immature, or naive. They could be all over the place, unorganized, and confused about how to move forward; mentorship or guidance is needed (whether they realize it or not). The World Reversed is someone that is struggling to find a path that is right for them.
The reversal of The World means this person has lost their faith in themselves or the world around them. They may be indecisive and cowardly, and stubbornly avoid facing any challenges or responsibilities.
The World as Feelings
In the realm of romantic feelings, the appearance of the World tarot card suggests that the person in question perceives a deep sense of fulfillment and unity when they think of you or the relationship. It’s as if you bring a feeling of completeness into their life, aligning with their ideals and aspirations.
This card can indicate a mature and evolved phase of an existing relationship or hint at the potential for a deeply harmonious connection if you’re not yet together. Just remember, while the World card generally brings positive vibes of accomplishment and unity, it’s wise to consider the overall context of the reading for a well-rounded understanding.
The World (Reversed) as Feelings
When the reversed World tarot card appears as feelings, it could imply that there might be some hesitations or a sense of incompleteness in someone’s perception of the relationship or their feelings for you. There could be a feeling of being stuck or unable to move forward, possibly due to unresolved issues or a lack of alignment with their ideals. This card might suggest that they’re not experiencing the sense of unity or fulfillment they desire in the romantic realm.
As someone’s feelings about you, The World Reversed can refer to feelings of neutrality, blockage, ambiguity, confusion, frustration, and mistrust. They may be uncertain or skeptical, or they could feel as though they are blocked or emotionally withdrawn from you – perhaps they (or you) are emotionally unavailable.
DISCLAIMER:
Sage & Moon is a participant in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you choose to purchase through these links. Any product we choose is based on personal recommendations that we love and trust you will too. By using these links you are directly supporting us to keep writing + creating. Thank you!
