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The World, Rider-Waite-Smith deck

Major Arcana · 21

The World

A cycle complete.

A cycle completes. Take stock of how far you have come.

  • completion
  • wholeness
  • achievement

Traditional association: Saturn

What the card shows

A dancing figure wrapped in a light scarf holds two wands inside a large laurel wreath. In the four corners are an angel, an eagle, a bull and a lion.

Twenty-one is the last of the Majors, so this is completion. The wreath is a closed loop and the dancing figure moves freely inside it. The four corner figures are tied to the four suits. Saturn, the usual planet, is linked with finishing and limits.

▲Upright

Completion and wholeness, with the next cycle waiting.

Lightcompletion, integration, satisfaction
Shadowreluctance to finish or to move on
LoveFeeling whole in yourself, and sharing it.
WorkFinishing a project; taking in what you have learned.

What have I finished that deserves to be acknowledged?

▼Reversed

Something is almost complete but not quite finished.

Blocked: the last step is missing.
Fading: closure is near.
Inward: not quite ready to let go.

What is the last step I keep avoiding?

The World in a reading

In love

Feeling whole in yourself, and sharing it.

Reversed: Something is almost complete but not quite finished.

At work

Finishing a project; taking in what you have learned.

Its shadow side: reluctance to finish or to move on.

As a Major Arcana card

Life's big themes and turning points. A Major Arcana card points to a bigger theme than the everyday cards around it.

All Major Arcana

Related cards

21 adds up to 3 (2 + 1), the number of the threes.

Read it with other cards

Questions about The World

What does The World mean in tarot?

Completion and wholeness, with the next cycle waiting. Keywords: completion, wholeness, achievement.

What does The World mean reversed?

Something is almost complete but not quite finished. Blocked: the last step is missing. Fading: closure is near. Inward: not quite ready to let go.

What does The World mean in love?

Feeling whole in yourself, and sharing it.

What does The World mean for work?

Finishing a project; taking in what you have learned.

What question does The World ask?

Upright: What have I finished that deserves to be acknowledged? Reversed: What is the last step I keep avoiding?

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