Home

About Tarot
About Oxford
The Oxford Tarot Deck
All Tarot Cards (General)
Articles about Tarot

FREE Tarot Readings

More Major Arcana Cards:
0 - The Fool
1 - The Magician
2 - The High Priestess
3 - The Empress
4 - The Emperor
5 - The Hierophant
6 - The Lovers
7 - The Chariot
8 - Strength
9 - The Hermit
10 - Wheel of Fortune
11 - Justice
12 - The Hanged Man
13 - Death
14 - Temperance
15 - The Devil
16 - The Tower
17 - The Star
18 - The Moon
19 - The Sun
20 - Judgement
21 - The World

Other Tarot Cards:
Suit of Cups
Suit of Pentacles
Suit of Swords
Suit of Wands

 

21 - The World

The World is the last Tarot Card of The Major Arcana.

Despite the title of the card, the image depicted is not necessarily of a Globe or Map of the World. The concepts conveyed by this card are more usually shown in the form of many symbols that, together, represent fertility, creativity, and protection.
Nude female figures are common icons on "The World" Tarot Card and are used in, for example the popular Rider-Waite and Robin Wood Decks.

"The World" is an inherently positive, joyful card. It is a gift and a delight whenever it appears in spreads because it is usually interpreted in such terms as "the world is your oyster", "all possibilities are available/open to you", "success with a project or mission", "an opportunity to move smoothly into the next cycle of life".
Detailed comment about this card will vary according to to deck used - because the imagery and symbolism in individual cards varies with the deck used and its overall theme. It is, of course, also important to consider the position of the card within the spread. "The World" Card is sometimes titled "The Universe", as for example, in the Golden Dawn Tarot Deck.

Some specific terms associated with "The World" Tarot card include:
Completion, Success, Culmination of Awareness, A New Beginning, Infinite Possibilities, Triumph over all Odds.

 

The Major Arcana cards are thought to be the most powerful cards in the Tarot. They tell a complete story when arranged in upright and numerical order. It is a story of development and enlightenment, sometimes called "The Fool's Journey".

Some texts include meanings for "reversed cards", which apply when the cards are shuffled in both order and orientation. This doubles the number of possible "cards" in the deck from 78 to 156. (In terms of the probabilities of obtaining results by chance alone, it is not a simple doubling as once a card has been drawn it cannot be selected again in the opposite orientation in the same reading.)

Why doesn't this page include a picture of this Tarot Card ?