The World
The World represents the completion of the Fool's journey and the achievement of perfect harmony between spirit and matter. This card signifies the fulfillment of hopes and dreams, the successful completion of projects, and a deep sense of satisfaction and wholeness. It indicates a time of rest, pleasure, and inner joy, where all elements of our being work together in perfect balance. The World marks the end of one cycle and the beginning of a new, higher level of existence.
Keywords
Alchemy
Elemental trump of Earth; planetary trump of Saturn
Kindred Souls
The Grandeur of the Night of Time; Persephone; Eurynome
Essence
Pure harmony. Completion and wholeness. End of searching. Synthesis of earth and spirit. Divine union. Absolute peace and happiness. Accomplishment. Emotional pleasures, sensual love. Order, enjoyment, security. Awareness of one's true nature and purpose. Self-determination. Cosmic design of creation. Elixir of Life. Immortality.
The Completion of the Journey
The World symbolizes the end of the journey begun by the Fool. The original creative seed of cosmic consciousness has matured and borne fruit, and the primordial spiritual essence of desire has found its manifestations in the material world. The Fool's ascension has been embodied in earthly existence, and our quest has reached its logical conclusion. This card indicates that our hopes and dreams will very soon be realized. The end of a certain stage of our life is approaching, successful implementation of plans and completion of projects. This card speaks of wholeness and synthesis, promising that we will soon experience a feeling of deep satisfaction and harmony.
Manifestations of Completeness
This may be a period of rest and pleasure or an inner feeling of joy and delight. This wholeness often manifests as peaceful happiness, a sense of duty fulfilled, achievement of certain peaks, or the feeling that everything in our life exists in harmonious accord. However, the meaning of the World card is not always related to calm and relaxation; its message can be exceptionally dynamic and creative. It is the dance of life in all its manifestations, from the blissful balance of elements to inspiring ecstasy with its energy.
Harmony with Cosmic Energy
This card represents the harmony of our individual spirit with the natural flow of cosmic energy. And here our personal attitude is very important. To experience joy from merging with natural energies, we must perceive them with soul, heart, mind and body and feel our involvement in everything that happens around and within us. As we begin to adapt more and more to the natural rhythm of life and its cyclicality, we establish deep and unbreakable connections with the world around us. The four elements of our being (represented on the card by four animals) interact in perfect harmony, connecting our creativity, sympathy, understanding and sensuality with the natural world and our Divine source.
The New Beginning in Completion
When all these elements unite, we experience a feeling of deep satisfaction and a sense of completeness. This completeness is simultaneously a new beginning at a higher level of existence. Malkuth becomes Kether on the Tree of Life, and a new tree of deeper understanding grows. When the circle closes, it becomes possible for us to see everything as it really is, since the entire picture of the world is now reflected in our very being. Everything is ready for a new beginning, and the events of our life are in perfect harmony with the flow of the Universe—we now exist in complete accord with the Eternal.
The Gathering of Elements
The World card marks moments when all our elements come together—in ecstasy (fire), bliss (water), enlightenment (air) and life force (earth)—creating absolute beauty (spirit). When this card appears in a spread, it is a sign that soon our desires will be fulfilled, and our only task is to continue believing in this and remain attuned to the wave of nature's spiritual flow. To receive the benefits promised by the World card, we must completely trust it. This hints at the concept that the path is more important than the destination—moreover, the very path to the goal is the goal and the source of true happiness.
Unity and Self-Identification
Harmony and unity with the external world and those who surround us blur the barriers between 'ours' and 'theirs,' which so often become the main cause of our loneliness. The desire to love without remainder becomes a joyful experience, involving us in the universal dance of life. A new and amazing synchronicity arises between our inner and outer experience. This card also speaks of determining one's place in the world, self-identification and following one's inner calling.
Practical Applications
In professional matters, it promises success, achievement of goals, or favorable conclusion of deals and contracts. In love and family relationships, it speaks of emotional calm, stability and security. It also indicates that we may meet a person destined to become our lifelong companion. In general, the World card foretells the onset of happy times when we will rejoice in life itself and our place in it openly and sincerely, harmoniously following the rhythm of nature and its cycles, being in complete accord with them. Additionally, this card may be closely connected with marriages, celebrations, festivities, home, family and ancestors.
Analysis and Symbolism
The Vampire Woman dances with the serpent of life and death—spiraling expanding forces endlessly creating new forms of life. She easily manipulates the cosmic energy of the Universe, completely surrendering to the dance. Active and passive have merged into one in this eternal dance, creating beginnings and endings, and everything between them, when it becomes impossible to separate the dance from the dancer. She represents the materialization of the Fool's essence—the completion of the great journey and Infinity obtaining its material manifestation.
The Dance of Creation
She is completely absorbed in her dance of life, spinning in it, creating and shaping it. All events and phenomena become servants of her Will, as she weaves the web of the Universe by her own desire. Her dance continuously creates new, amazing forms of existence, instantly remaking what preceded them, and steadily transforming life itself through constantly introduced changes. This is a dance of liberation and alchemy.
The Serpent and the Four Animals
The serpent represents one of the four animals depicted on the World card corresponding to the four suits of Tarot. In the upper right corner we see a wolf (earth), in whose forehead shines the white rose of Kether. The Fool also holds it in his hand. From this rose descend the ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life, emphasizing that completion of the process in Malkuth means the emergence of a new, even more powerful Tree of Life, and the entire process begins again.
Crystallization of Spirit
The various organic forms depicted on the card symbolize the crystallization of spirit in the material world. This card represents complete expansion and absolute unity, symbiosis and connection of spirit and earth through love. It is also a symbol of completion and burning of old Karma, resulting in new cause-and-effect relationships.
Reconciliation with the Shadow
The World card also speaks of our reconciliation with the shadow, as evidenced by the serpent's kiss. This serpent represents not conflict with the Divine, but its shadow, which we ourselves created so that the Divine, in our human perception, would be associated only with good and blessing. The eternal cyclicality of carnal love and death was previously viewed as a threat to our soul, but once we realized that we ourselves were created from the same imperishable essence, we found peace.
The Return to Unity
In this dance, light and shadow penetrate each other and merge into one, returning us to our true origins. Our ultimate goal is achieved, and we are once again united with the Eternal. Now we see ourselves in higher reality and perceive the world as it is. Having known our own shadows and fears, we have freed ourselves from them and are now captured by the unceasing dance of the Universe. The boundaries between our ego and the Eternal have melted in our happy return to our Divine source, and we are again filled with the ecstatic joy of the Fool. The construction of our Earthly Kingdom is complete.
Shadow
The shadow position of the World card indicates fear of separation, loneliness, or distancing from one's natural or spiritual roots. Thirst for material wealth or social recognition can lead to spiritual emptiness, selfishness, arrogance and vulnerability. Consequences of denying natural processes or opposing them may include stubbornness, inaction, dissatisfaction, poor health, disappointment, poverty or inability for platonic love and intimate relationships. This card in shadow aspect may communicate about the need for love and security, absence of home, loneliness, depression or insufficient support. Also this card may indicate extreme poverty, wasted time, inability to meet deadlines, lack of savings, missed happiness, chaos and foolishness.
Visual Description
A kneeling woman arches her back as a large black snake coils around her arms and torso. A black panther crouches close behind her while a raven flies near the upper left and a luminous mask-like face with a rose emblem glows in the upper right. Her arms and legs bear decorative tattoos, ragged cloth drapes her body, and thorny vines crawl across the foreground beneath an ornate frame; the title "МИР" appears at the bottom.
Tarot of Vampyres
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