TAROTThe World
Upright
Success and accomplishment in the current cycle.
Achievement of a major milestone.
Reaching the end of a phase of life with a successful outcome.
Expect rewards to come after completing the goal.
Intuition
The World is represented by Nike, Goddess of Victory.
All pronunciations of Nike taken from the popular brand are wrong when compared to the Greek pronunciation; it is pronounced as ‘knee-kay’.
Reversed
Unfulfilled potential. Success may come but it will be harder than expected and may be unfulfilling
Failed to achieve mastery or completion of a life goal.
Missed opportunities due to unresolved issues, lack of planning and structure, or lack of mastery in the goal.
Astrologia
Perfect control, mastery of all the elements.
The World
The last card in the Major arcana is the World, representing the end of the current cycle.
It represents a sense of completion and satisfaction after a period of hard work and significant time.
There is however no indication of resting on your laurels. The World card is about movement. The figure has her eyes closed and looks calm but her body is in movement. She appears to be performing a pirouette which means she is turning rather than facing forward. She looks to have flown upwards and now occupies a space where she is literally half way between the sun (above her head) and the moon (below her bent foot), with the earth at her feet.
Her wings are no longer lifting her but are instead half closed as if protecting her; she has reached a new height and for a moment is safe.
From this point she can literally move in any direction. She can build on this success by attempting to reach new heights or allow herself to fall back to earth and look for another way up by mastering something new.
She is of course used to success as she is the fleet-footed, winged Goddess of victory, Nike.
Nike
Nike is the Goddess of Victory, and was the only deity who accompanied Zeus in his battle against the great Typhon, fighting for supremacy of the cosmos. The others were too fearful to face the monster.
Most know Nike used as a woman’s name via her Roman equivalent, Victoria.
She is associated with overcoming challenges, success, and courage in the face of adversity. Her association with speed was not just in running, but symbolic of success often requiring quick thinking and decisive action. Without it you will often be too late to grasp victory.
Nike was strongly linked to warriors and athletes, and the wreath used to denote victory today is one of her symbols.
Description and Symbology
We see the winged Goddess Nike holding two wands and momentarily stationary in space with the earth and Moon at her feet and the sun above her head. She has clearly reached a considerable height, symbolic of reaching the peak in a new skill or attaining a considerable milestone.
Her face is calm and serene which implies she is still, but this is not the case. She has one foot raised in a standard ballet pirouette which implies she is spinning. The cloth around her also moves to suggest the same movement.
Her wings (that were presumably used to get her here) are momentarily no longer flapping. They are instead half closed as if to protect; she is safe because the experience and skills used to reach this height now act as a shield to things that were once cause for alarm.
Below her we see an ancient symbol of victory that is still used today; the wreath.
We also see the symbol of the Ouroboros or snake eating itself. The Ouroboros first appeared in ancient Egyptian iconography and appears later in ancient Greek Magical Papyri (the Papyri Graecae Magicae), which contains a mix of Egyptian, Hellenistic and Jewish beliefs. The Ouroboros represents the continuing cycle of life-death-rebirth using the symbol of the snake (which was already symbolic of death-regeneration as an animal that sheds its skin).
In the context of this card the Ouroboros represents an important point; each victory is not an end but the starting point to another adventure. Yesterday’s Fool is today’s World, and today’s World is tomorrow’s Fool.
Yesterday’s Fool is today’s World, and today’s World is tomorrow’s Fool
Recall that Nike is actually still in motion; she is turning so can move off in any direction and build upon her current position by moving sideways or upwards. She can allow herself to fall and land back on earth, start again on a different path. Her possibilities are endless from her current position.
Like all of us, she will pause to savor the current victory but tomorrow is a new start.
Card Symbol
The crossed circle in astronomy represents Planet Earth; our world. Its true meaning is however much more ancient as we see it in prehistoric religions across all continents, and variants of it are used everywhere today.
Goddess of Victory
The World card represents success in the current journey or milestone. Nike as the Goddess of victory represents this state perfectly.
Reaching the heights of the current journey
Nike’s wings have propelled her to a height where she literally has the world at her feet, symbolic of working hard to reach the pinnacle of a skill or getting to a major milestone.
Calm contemplation whilst still in motion
Nike has her eyes closed as if in calm contemplation. Victory has been achieved, the battle won and there is nothing left to be afraid of.
Nike’s wings (that have got her to this height) now enclose her in protection but she is still in motion and able to move onwards in any direction.
The Ouroboros
The ouroboros represents the cyclical nature of life. After this victory there will be another challenge and another journey to begin. Without this constant cycle life becomes stagnant.
Tips for Readings
The following table shows the upright and reverse meanings for general questions. The last row ('Yes/No') is useful when you are picking a single card to decide a yes or no decision.
Upright
Reversed
You have achieved completion of fulfilment within a relationship. This indicates a strengthening of bonds after a getting past significant obstacles and trials together.
It can also mean the relationship has met a natural and mutual end.
Disconnection or lack of control in the relationship. Everything seems to become a problem, leading to frustration.
You may not have the same goals and expectations and this needs to be addressed before you can move forward together.
Completed a milestone in your career.
This may mean recognition for accomplishments or may mean now is a good time to move on and look for new challenges.
Problems in completing a major task. Success will come but it will be late, and the timing may mean it is seen as failure.
Check your plans and whether everyone is aiming for the same goals.
If the question is specifically about health then the card points to overcoming issues to do with health.
If the question is not specific to health then a major milestone has been completed. Give yourself time to celebrate the win and recuperate before embarking on the next challenge.
Lack of control or difficulties in meeting goals may be affecting your health.
Check whether your goals are achievable.
If you have injuries or symptoms, you may be ignoring them; this may not end well.
A sense of completion.
You have gained mastery in something so take a well-earned break, and consider how far you have come.
After that the next challenge awaits!
A disconnection between your goals and your ideals. This will either slow down your progress or create an unfulfilling victory on completion (or both).
Revisit what you are trying to achieve; is it your goal or someone else’s?
Stability through success.
If the question was not specific to finance, now may be a good time to put in place plans to invest the money from your success prudently and for the long term.
Instability through tasks taking too long and draining funds.
Success and promotion may be elusive through lack of progress, causing money problems.
Yes through successful completion.
Indeterminate as success will come but it may take longer than expected. You may give up or become disillusioned.
Reading the Card
The upright card
The World card indicates the completion of a cycle or achieving a major life milestone. You will successfully gain new insights, skills or other personal growth through the achievement and are ready to move forward with greater clarity and confidence.
The achievement means you have achieved strength in a particular area and are ready to make further plans from a stable foundation.
You may choose to build on what you have already.
You are also free to choose a completely new direction. The world card often means success but it can also mean change following success such as travel or moving on in career.
Whatever the next step, the World card is a cause for celebration and victory. Success that has been a long time in the making will occur.
The reversal
The reversed World card still implies success will come but it will be later and more arduous than planned and once achieved, the success may leave you empty.
The goals you set may be those of someone else or no longer align with your inner convictions, making you feel somewhat trapped or lacking in direction.
It may end up as a pyrrhic victory; success comes but the cost was too high. The journey so far may even have changed you such that the goal no longer makes sense.
This card prepares you for a longer or more arduous task and asks that you consider whether the milestone or task that you are working towards is really the one you want. A reassessment of priorities may be in order.
Card Design Process
The card was entirely defined by choosing Nike as the subject. As soon as that decision was made the layout and design became very obvious. Note that there is no multiple symbology on this card (as occurs in other decks). In this deck most cards limit themselves to one main archetype. This (hopefully) makes for strong archetypes.
Final Words
The World card represents completion of an important cycle in your life. It will give you a sense of new stability and freedom to consider future avenues. The reverse card suggests success may take longer than expected and you goals may have altered since the start of the journey and require reappraisal.
