The World; As I See It
| Thoughts on the Major Arcana card The World using the Rider- Waite deck One of the first things that struck me about the World card was the joyous celebration depicted by the dancer in the center of the card. This deck is wonderfully illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith. The next thing I noticed was the green wreath, with the red sashes at the top and the bottom, surrounding the dancer. Then I noticed the long purple cloth wrapped around her. In this card we have things both spiritual and physical but because the scene is placed in the sky it could be said that even the things of the Earth are raised to a higher level through the energy of the card. The sticks the dancer holds, could be seen as the eternal flames that burn steadily regardless of position, unbound from the laws of gravity. In the World we see a uniting of all that was possible in the Wheel of Fortune card, as well as the potentiality's of all the previous cards into one universal, spiritual being. The wreath implies circular movement as does the Wheel of Fortune. But where the Wheel of Fortune implies what you put out is what you get back in the law of karma, the Karmic Wheel has evolved beyond this into a wheel of spiritual physicality in which change is a constant and yet everything remains the same as so beautifully illustrated by the Fool, which would be the next card if you started from the beginning of the Major Arcana again. The circle of the wreath bring many shapes to mind, such as the letter "o", an egg, the number zero, just to name a few. Within this context it could be said the shape represents the concept that out of nothing comes everything, the potential and the manifestation and yet everything is the One. As we look at the Justice Card we see the energy of the conscious & the super conscious, represented by the two pillars through the energy of the divine, symbolized by the purple curtain connecting them, now entwining themselves into a green wreath, in a never ending energy flow sustaining and embracing the physical world as well as the spiritual, for all eternity in the World card. Within the World card the Fool knows and expresses the Unity of All That Is while living his life in the illusion of differences. With in the World card is the Magician, the High Priestess and the Empress. The Magician is card number 1, the High Priestess number 2 and the Empress number 3. The World is the 21st card. 2 + 1 = 3, the Magician, the High Priestess, the Empress. Because of this, we know the Fool expresses this unity with great love, oneness of spirit and a joyful creation along with an appreciation of life which touches every thing and every one he comes into contact with. After traveling through the entire Major Arcana he now steps off the cliff with joy and abandon but perhaps for a different reason. |
