The World: Modern RWS Tarot Card Meanings
‘KEY XXI: The World’, Rider Waite Smith tarot deck.
Upright World Meanings
Keywords
Completion, Integration, Accomplishment, Travel, Fulfilment, Wholeness
Generally
As the final card in the Major Arcana, The World represents the successful completion of a major life cycle. It signifies a sense of wholeness and accomplishment. A project is finished, a long journey has reached its destination, and all parts have been integrated into a successful whole. Graduating from university, the final draft of a book, a successful round-the-world trip, a profound sense of personal integration.
In a Love Context
This card signifies the successful culmination of a relationship cycle. This often represents a deep and lasting fulfilment. A successful long-term marriage, the feeling of having found your "other half," a relationship that feels complete and whole, the successful end of one relationship phase to begin a new, more mature one.
In a Money/Career Context
The World points to the peak of success and professional accomplishment. Reaching the top of your career ladder, the successful completion of a long and difficult project, a business achieving global recognition, the feeling of having finally "made it" financially and professionally.
In a Spiritual Context
This card is about achieving a state of cosmic consciousness. It represents the successful completion of a great cycle of spiritual development, the integration of the self with the universe, and a profound sense of oneness. It is the successful end of the soul's long journey towards its goal.
In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
See the bigger picture. Bring things to a conclusion. Celebrate your accomplishments. Integrate all the different parts of your life.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
A successful and fulfilling completion. A happy ending. A project finished. A journey's end.
As Obstacles
A fear of success is holding you back. The sheer scale of a project is overwhelming. A refusal to take the final step.
As Hidden Energy
The potential for a successful conclusion is present but not yet realised. A missing piece of the puzzle that will bring everything together.
As Resources/Alliances
A global network. A well-travelled and worldly person. The ability to see the whole picture.
‘The World’ Reversed
Keywords
Incompletion, Lack of Closure, Short Cuts, Stagnation, Emptiness
Generally
Reversed, The World can point to a frustrating lack of completion or a feeling that something is missing. A project that is 99% finished but never gets the final sign-off, a journey that is cut short, a goal that is reached but feels empty and unfulfilling due to shortcuts taken along the way.
In a Love Context
This card often signifies a lack of closure or a relationship that has not reached its full potential. Feeling stuck in a relationship that is not progressing, an inability to get over a past love because there was no closure, a partnership that feels incomplete and is stagnating.
In a Money/Career Context
This can mean a project at work that is perpetually delayed or a career that feels stagnant and unfulfilling. A failure to reach a major career goal, a business that never quite takes off, taking a shortcut that leads to a hollow victory.
In a Spiritual Context
This can mean a spiritual journey that feels incomplete or a frustrating lack of progress on your path. It often points to a feeling of being stuck in a spiritual rut, unable to reach the next level of understanding or integration.
In Common Spread Positions
As Advice
Do not take shortcuts. Go back and complete the work properly. Seek closure.
As (Ultimate) Outcome
A project left unfinished. A lack of closure. A feeling of emptiness despite apparent success.
As Obstacles
A tendency to take shortcuts is preventing true success. A fear of commitment is leading to incompletion. A missing piece of the puzzle is holding everything back.
As Hidden Energy
A secret desire to not finish a project. An unacknowledged feeling of emptiness. A past situation that was never properly concluded.
As Resources/Alliances
Help comes from accepting that a project is a failure and moving on. The realisation that a shortcut has led you astray.
Additional Notes on The RWS ‘World’
Waite’s Divinatory Meanings of The World
"Assured success, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place. Reversed: Inertia, fixity, stagnation, permanence." (The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, 1911)
A.E. Waite’s World Card Symbolism
A.E Waite’s World card depicts a dancing figure, often seen as hermaphroditic, representing the complete integration of masculine and feminine principles. The figure is enclosed within a large laurel wreath, a symbol of victory and success. In each of the four corners are the four living creatures of Ezekiel, the same figures seen on the Wheel of Fortune, representing the four elements and the four corners of the universe, now in harmonious balance. The entire scene represents the successful completion of the Great Work, the culmination of a cycle, and the celebration of cosmic wholeness.
Meditations On The World Card
What major cycle in my life is coming to a successful completion?
What does a feeling of "wholeness" or "integration" mean to me right now?
Am I taking any shortcuts that might lead to a hollow victory?
Question: Is The World a 'yes' or 'no' card?
The World is one of the most positive cards in the deck. It is a resounding and definitive 'yes', signifying successful completion and a positive outcome.
