The World/Universe is the journey of the joyful integration of yourself with the rest of creation, living in trust and without fear. The Fool has traveled a long road to get to the heights of the world. Here there is joy, love and fulfillment. The World represents the dance of life, dancing with the freedom of truly knowing yourSelf, blending the dark and the light, and expressing your full individuality. When you experience The World, you feel such deep love not only in yourself, but for everything around you. You feel totally integrated with everything. You understand the responsibility of human existence.
The woman in The World/Universe Key image is androgynous. She embodies and balances the mental and spiritual aspects of our male and female nature into one whole being. She has liberated herself from fear and falsehood; she is integrated within herself and the world, living freely and openly, with concern for the world community. She sits quietly, taking in the inner peace and love that comes from the blending of the polarities of the self, letting go of the controlling ego. The Self is everywhere and in all things. Like the four seasons, each of us is continually cycling with the spiral of life, hand in hand with the spiral of spirituality – stretching, challenging and disciplining ourselves. By doing this, we find our personal rhythm that flows with the universal rhythm.
The World/Universe represents freedom and all the potential it has to offer. It is the manifestation of the most wondrous and unimaginable. It represents achievement and success in all areas of one’s life. It symbolizes opening and expanding one’s eyes to different worlds and thoughts. The magic of The World is the marriage of our polarities and integrating it into our world, understanding the connection and living it. Then, the miracles of life are unveiled. We’ve been given that magic gift to explore and create something new. We realize life is a never-ending journey and it is our job to live it as fully as we can, physically and mentally, with passion and responsibility. The feeling of being one with all, and the deep sense of unity, goes beyond any love that one has ever known. One transcends.
We are always on a journey. Some are small and some are very profound, but we always arrive at a completion, with lessons learned. Some things change and some remain the same. Hopefully we come out with a deeper understanding about ourselves, others and the world. We become closer to ourselves and our world community during these times.
The lessons of The World are to bring your physical/material life into balance with your spiritual truth, learning to control/harness energies and desires, reactions or moods that don’t support you. Widening your horizons and integrating is a human responsibility. Separateness leads to stagnant energy and unfulfillment. You are in charge of fulfilling your own emptiness. By fulfilling your potential you add to the world and the universe in a way that no-one else can. Recognize the inner spirit that supports you. Be an initiator – not an imitator; cut through personal limitations and fears; be committed to growth and evolution. The world in each of us and the world around us are one. Our commitment to our personal evolution reflects our feeling and attitude toward the greater whole and where we are on our path to the source, our ultimate goal.

Symbolism in The World Image

The tree creates a wreath around the woman and the dove. The tree symbolizes the Tree of Life. The wreath symbolizes victory. Within the wreath is the medicine wheel of life, always cycling and changing, reminding one that life, death and rebirth are part of our world. There are three rainbow lotus blossoms, each representing a cycle in one’s life and each offering a gift from which to learn. There are 22 yellow lotus blossoms, representing the 22 Keys of the major arcana of the tarot with their lessons and journeys. The white lotus at the top holds a nest with three golden eggs, symbolizing the rebirth of mind, body and spirit. The tree is ancient and its trunk has grown into the universal spiral of creativity. Inside the wreath there is an energy circle that flows continuously with the elements of earth, water, air and fire – all in balance. The woman holds the earth tenderly; she understands that she and earth are one. The dove caresses the woman and the earth, symbolizing that there is a deep, pure, healing love that surrounds us when we understand what our connection to everything really means. The woman has the seven chakras above her head, symbolizing she is attuned to her higher self. The hummingbirds around her symbolize the joy that comes from feeling connected. The dragonfly guides one through the mists of illusion to the pathway of magical transformation. The butterflies flying out of the inner circle symbolize the transformation that continually takes place in our lives on many levels. Turtle represents Mother Earth. The sea turtle lives most of its life in the ocean, but comes to land when she lays her eggs. The lesson is that we all come to earth to gestate and grow. The sea turtle and butterfly live in their elements (water and air), but always are connected to the earth. The square shape in the background has four symbols of earth, air, water and fire. The square represents matter and the circle of the tree wreath represents spirit. The combination of the two symbolize unity, which is the ultimate goal of our journey. The starry background is our endless universe of possibilities. The Root Chakra is associated with The World – waking up one’s kundalini. The World is also associated with the planet Saturn and the Hebrew letter is Tav, meaning signature or cross.

The World as a Lifetime Personality Symbol

The World as your Lifetime Personality Symbol represents one who looks at things holistically. You see the world at large and feel very connected to it. You have a great talent to birth new ideas and creations, bringing them to completion. You have a motherly instinct, but you are also an adventurer. Nature and the world’s environment are  very important to you. There is a desire to travel and see and feel the world. If you feel trapped or limited at all, you will want to flee. Freedom is paramount to you. You will need to define what freedom means to you and how it works with the rest of the world. You will need structure in your life – a plan, in order to work from your full potential. You will always have a sense of the bigger picture in life and want to contribute. Most of all, follow what is heartfelt for you.

The World as a Yearly Growth Symbol

This could be an expansive year for you. You will want to be involved in something meaningful in community service, family, environmental or world service. This is a year when you follow what has heartfelt meaning for you. It’s a year when you may travel and explore something new. Traveling to different countries is very possible. An important issue may arise that will motivate you to see life from different perspectives. A major block or limitation can be released during this year. It is a time for endings and new beginnings, a year for completing something and starting something new.