The World Tarot Card: A naked woman stands in the center of a scaly wreath bound at the top and bottom by red cloth wrapped in the shape of the infinity symbol. The wreath is reminiscent of the ouroboros (a serpent eating its own tail), but since it has two red bindings, can also be thought of as two snakes biting each other’s tails (the double ouroboros). The woman is partially covered by a purple scarf and holds a white wand in her right hand and a black wand in her left. Her left leg is crossed behind her right. Outside the green wreath are the heads of the four cherubs resting in clouds: The man/angel (associated with elemental Air), the eagle (associated with elemental Water), the ox (associated with elemental Earth), and the lion (associated with elemental Fire).
The Story of The World Card: The depiction of a woman in this card (rather than a man or gender-neutral person) is very important. The reason a female body is used is because the human physical form, as well as humanity itself, is by its very nature of the feminine polarity. All human beings, when contrasting with the human spirit or soul, or the Divine itself, are receptacles for higher consciousness and so are by nature feminine. So the woman in the card symbolizes all of humanity and the human condition in general. The body is a receptacle for the soul, and it is feminine by nature.
The woman in The World expresses every human being’s existing reality. She holds two wands, one white and one black to illustrate the world of polarity we live in. She is seen bound inside the infinite container of dualistic, cyclical life represented by the green wreath reminiscent of the double ouroboros. The wreath also represents the boundary of the physical world we exist within and the veil that maintains separation between realms.
Thus The World card represents the first level of awareness on the journey of spiritual evolution. This first step, like any journey, begins with an awareness of where you are; an acknowledgment of what is. You can’t plot your course on a map without a starting point. So the starting point of the woman in The World card is here. She is bound by the infinite loop of karma and polarity to live in ignorance of her higher nature. But at the same time that the card gives us a starting point, it also hints at the way out of this loop of ignorant living.
The woman’s left leg is crossed under her right, and her hands are spread out, creating the alchemical symbol for sulfur (an upward-facing triangle atop a cross), which represents the element of Fire. The cloth that binds the wreath together is also red. These symbols, all indicating the element of fire, point us to the myth of the Banishment from the Garden of Eden. When the garden was sealed off, the story goes, a flaming sword was placed at its gate to bar the entrance. The four cherubs are the guardians of that flaming sword.
The four cherubim outside of the wreath are only partially visible (only their heads are showing) due to the clouds of human ignorance. They are the guardians that keep this world separated from the higher worlds of spirit. To go beyond the veil and see the cherubs more clearly (as depicted in The Wheel of Fortune card), one must master the four elements that the cherubs represent. To escape cyclical and polar consciousness and be allowed to pass by the flaming sword again, it must be moved aside by the cherubic guardians. Only they can unravel the red infinity knots for us.
So the way out of the confines of physical reality and the ignorant wandering we humans suffer is by mastering the four elements represented by the cherubs. Mastering Earth: The animal instincts of our physical body, Water: The emotional realm and the unconscious, conditioned mind, Air: Consciously directed thought, intellectual understanding, and mental clarity, Fire: Willpower, creativity, and purpose.
There is another powerful hint in this card as to how to undertake the spiritual journey. First, the red cloth binding the ouroboros is dual - reminding us of the principle of as above, so below. Second, the circle is also in the shape of a zero, which is the number of The Fool card, which represents mastery and living a fully surrendered life. These hints remind us that the separation we experience is actually an illusion. We are (right now), the same as that which is above. We are not different. Even as we experience ourselves to be veiled off from union, we are, in fact, and always have been, entirely whole (The Fool).
The same thing is also hinted at by the purple veil. While the purple veil illustrates, on the one hand, a lack of awareness of our innermost self (the most powerful energy of her humanity is hidden), it also reminds us of Divine intention. As purple is a color that represents Divinity, The color of the scarf tells us that there is Divine intention behind our lack of awareness. It is a hint telling us that this ignorance of ourselves is all part of the Divine plan. In a similar vein, the wreath is also symbolic of a womb. So we can think of our physically bound life as an incubator - a place to truly learn about ourselves and grow into fully Divine beings.
Association with Saturn: Saturn represents confinement and boundaries. The association with The World card reminds us to embrace the confinement and boundaries of physical reality (as The Fool does). It reminds us that there is actually nothing to fight against. That to truly learn, we mustn’t try to escape, but rather go further inward until we find the densest point within ourselves (as does The Hermit). At that dense point within, that’s where we will find our power, illumination, and reunification.
When to use The World Tarot Card: When you wish to fully embrace the creative power at your root (behind the purple veil), meditate on The World Card. When a calling comes to you to be more than what you are and what you know yourself to be, see yourself inside the ouroboros and know that there is a way out and forward. A way back to your true self that you will only find by looking within yourself, not out. When you feel a journey of growth and awakening beginning, call on the energy of The World. It will help you see where you are now, so that you can better understand the road ahead of you. A journey of 1,000 miles begins by putting one foot in front of the other, and that’s what The World can help you do - take the first step towards the unknown.
Altar Cloth / Tapestry details:
~ 100% microfiber Polyester
~ Hemmed edges for extra durability to ensure years of use
~ Advanced tapestry and altar cloth printing techniques guarantee crisp image detail
~ Multiple sizes (26x36 in, 50x60 in, 68x80 in, 88x104 in)
