XXI The World - 'Full Circle'

The Fool has finally reached his destination. His journey is now complete. He's traveled full circle through the Major Arcana only to find himself in a similar position as when he initially took that fateful leap of faith. At number 'XXI', 'The World' is about to teach The Fool one final lesson about the cyclical nature of life.

'The Universe' from the Thoth Tarot
by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris

THE WORLD - Full Circle

KEYWORDS 

Completion. Full circle. Apotheosis. Zenith. Fulfillment. End of a fruitful journey. Experience and maturity. Success. Infinite choices. Contentment. Happiness. Supreme confidence. Privilege. Good news. Freedom.

Unexpected reversal. Incomplete journey. Unfortunate delays. Bad news. Turmoil. Obstruction. Stagnation. Out of touch. Imbalance. Vertigo. Feeling dizzy. Refusal to fit in. Misfit. Rebel. Individuality.

THE LIGHT  

The World represents the end of a cycle and its successful completion. We've gained so much knowledge, wisdom and maturity, the world is literally at our feet, full of infinite possibilities. We're now perfectly equipped to handle anything thanks to all the experience we've acquired along the way.

It was a long, sometimes harrowing process, but we've made it; we've grown and evolved in ways we could have only imagined. We could choose to bask in this glorious state forever, but how about starting another journey? Take another leap of faith and embark on a brand new, exciting adventure. After all, we're now wise enough to realize that no matter how much we've learned, there will always be so much that is left to discover. That is the core message of this card. The Fool's journey is an endless series of cycles. The concept of reincarnation fits in really well here. The soul's evolution continues through countless lifetimes, just as The Fool's journey starts all over again after reaching this final milestone in the Major Arcana.

Two similar variations on 'The World' featuring the Tree of Life or Knowledge
Left: The Slow Tarot. Right: The Wooden Tarot

The World is a very positive card that indicates happiness, contentment, fulfillment, freedom and supreme confidence. We find ourselves in a position of serene power, both internal and external. We're literally on top of the world, feeling blessed and more than a little privileged. It doesn't get any better than this. This card represents the apotheosis, the zenith in any situation, relationship or project.

The World can also sometimes represent good news, world travel and yearly event celebrations or festivals. 

THE SHADOW 

The shadow side of The World signifies that we've hit a major roadblock just as we were about to cross the finish line. This unexpected reversal turns our world upside down and leaves us in a precarious position. It's like an ill-fated combination of the Hanged Man and The Wheel of Fortune spinning the wrong way. We're unable to complete our journey and are left utterly baffled at this turn of events. We're totally blindsided because everything seemed to be going so well up to that point.  

We need to retrace our steps back to the moment we went astray and try to get back on track. What stands in our way? What or who is creating this obstruction? Could it be our own sense of entitlement, hubris and over-confidence? It's time to take a long, honest look at the decisions that have led to this impasse and try to turn our world right side up again.

The shadow World can also indicate dizziness or vertigo. We feel a sense of imbalance in all aspects of our life. Everything feels off and we're not sure how to get back to normalcy. 

'The World' from the Tarot of the Divine
by Yoshi Yoshitani

This card can also represent a deliberate refusal to fit into the established patterns created by society. We're doing it our way, living our lives on our own terms, even if it means becoming an outcast, a misfit, at odds with the rest of the world. 

Alternatively, it can also mean that we're totally out of touch with the real world due to either extreme societal and generational privilege, or the exact opposite, systemic discrimination and disadvantage. Look to nearby cards for clues on how to interpret this aspect.

LITERALLY 

In a literal sense The World represents our planet Earth, it's geography, geology and demographics.

TAROT ACADEMIA 

As I've mentioned before in this blog, there are three cards in the Major Arcana that feature all four elemental correspondences: Earth, Air, Fire and Water. The first is the Magician, the second is The Wheel of Fortune and the third and final one is The World. It's interesting to note how the Fool's journey is marked by this elemental balance at the beginning, the halfway point and the end. Pay close attention to this aspect when any of these cards appear in a reading. They're a great indicator of deep imbalance when negatively positioned in a spread. I call them the 'Elemental Equilibrium Arcanas'.

In The Magician card, the elements are usually represented by the Minor Arcana suits correspondences, Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. In the Wheel of Fortune, the alchemical symbols for sulfur, water, mercury and salt are often used as elemental associations. As for The World, it generally uses the Zodiac signs of Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius and Taurus.

'The World' variations from the Marseille-Waite Tarot on the left and
the Modern Witch Tarot on the right.

Whenever I 'reset' a Tarot deck by putting all the cards in their original order, I always position the suit of Wands immediately after The World. Wands represent Fire, which is a symbol of primordial energy, passion, creation, sexuality and the masculine gender. It all starts with that initial life spark. 

I then add the suit of Cups and its element of Water, which represents the instinctive flow of emotions, feelings, intuition and the feminine gender. Unbridled passion gives way to a gentler, more sensitive state of being. 

The cerebral suit of Swords and its element of Air is positioned next. Air represents thoughts and ideas, intellectual creativity, mental health and internal strength. It provides logic and reason to temper the volatility and emotional instability of the previous two elements.

And finally, to avoid getting too lost in our own heads, we need the steady, grounding force of the element of Earth found in the suit of Pentacles. Earth to me must always be positioned last due to its stabilizing effect over all the other elements.

'The World' from the Dark Mansion Tarot
by Taroteca Studio

I'll be developing a lot more on these symbolic elemental correspondences in the coming weeks in the Minor Arcana card studies. Understanding these associations is an essential key to unlocking many of the Tarot's secrets. Not just in the Minor Arcana where the four elements are ubiquitous, but also in the Major Arcana where their presence in certain cards provides an additional dimension for their interpretation, especially on the intuitive level.

AN EXERCISE 

Here's a quick and easy way to determine what to do next when you come to the end of a journey, project or life chapter. Shuffle your deck thoroughly and find The World. The card behind it tells you where you're coming from and the card in front of it tells you where you should head next.