(Originally written for the Philosphical Research Society's PRS Journal)
A shining, naked figure with female breasts dances over the void as if walking on air. A shawl is loosely draped around the waist, hiding a sacred mystery. With the left leg tucked behind the extended right leg, the figure is surrounded by a wreath and four cherubim, each represented by the head of a terrestrial beast—a man, a bull, a lion, and an eagle. This androgynous entity is known as ‘the great one of the night-time’ and is the final Heh of the tetragrammaton. This is the World Card of the Tarot. If the Major Arcana of the Tarot is viewed as a cohesive story, the World is the final chapter of the tale. Since the Fool Card is assigned the number zero, the World card is enumerated as trump twenty-one. This is the completion of the Fool's journey. Our protagonist has reached a state of self-realization. This is the triumphant return of our hero. Changed by the experiences and difficult lessons gleaned from his long pilgrimage, he has transformed into the androgyne dancer we see displayed before us. Although this god-form floats gracefully in space, the card is the planetary trump of Saturn, which corresponds to Lead in alchemy, and it is the elemental trump of Earth, making it the densest and heaviest card of the Major Arcana. If this is so, what is the purpose of this paradox of lightness and weight? The allegorical symbol teaches that the divine is ever-present, even within the material form. As we seek to transcend this mundane plane of existence, the manifested universe is the vehicle to reach liberation while dwelling within the mind of Brahma, which saturates everything within this world in spirit. An example of this is displayed similarly through the Hindu deity, Shiva, who dances upon dwarves that correspond to the element of Earth. Shiva triumphs over Samsara, the cycle of reincarnation. The winner's wreath wraps around our dancer and, on the surface, appears to celebrate the completion of the Fool’s journey home, the completion of a cycle. The mandorla in the World Card is meant to drive home the point that our universe is saturated in spirit and dwells within God's mind. Readers of the hermetic work known as The Kybalion will recognize this principle in the first Hermetic Law of Mentalism: "The Universe is Mental - held in the Mind of THE ALL." This can also be seen as a womb where the Fool will be born again, kickstarting a new cycle. One of the most peculiar aspects of this card is the concealed genitalia. Neither tarot nor magick are shy regarding sexual anatomy and tantric themes. We see both male and female organs in other cards—like the Lovers, for example—so why not on the World? They are not hidden for courtesy but to teach the great secret of the generative compulsion at the heart of Creation, an absolute mystery that spiritual adepts and masters have debated for centuries. Some say that the reason for the creation of the universe is due to the principles of alchemy. The theory holds that God, the One, poured Itself into the great work of creation to experience the alchemical process. It can be argued that this is the soul's desire and the Creator's purpose, and, as time goes on, the universe is working its way back to the origin point of genesis. Each time something is put through the process of alchemy, it is said to become more and more refined. Likewise, according to this qabalistic theory, God has the desire or compulsion to refine Itself indefinitely. This is not the only mystery regarding the World card’s concealed genitalia. The exposure of the female breasts reveals that the universe is predominantly feminine—she is ‘Mother Nature.’ In the Knapp-Hall Tarot Deck, above our protagonist, a shield displays a circle split into quadrants by a cross with equal limbs. This is not the cross of Calvary, but instead an emblem meant to represent the Hebrew Letter ascribed to this card: Tav, which translates to ‘Cross’ or ‘Mark of God.’ This cross represents Kether, the Crown, the uppermost sephirot of the Qabalistic Tree of Life. It is a symbol that is meant to remind us of that administrative intelligence that is responsible for the beginning of all things, another recollection of the ever-watchful Great Architect of the Universe. In Crowley’s Thoth Tarot the symbol is replaced with the all-seeing eye, which beams downward at the emanations below. The right leg pointing downward alludes to the earth, still tethered to the divine, while the left leg tucked behind alludes to the astral and ethereal planes of existence that are all around us but are too subtle to be seen. Ultimately, the soul has sovereignty over the body. This brings us to the final symbols of this card, the four cherubim of the fixed signs of the zodiac—the lion of Leo, the bull of Taurus, the Eagle of Scorpio, and the Aquarian Man. The sacred wheel of the zodiac was at one time a fitting symbol for the completion of the solar year, and the wheel is still used in some decks, like the Crowley-Harris Thoth deck. The card has been interpreted as an assurance of success, recompense, a safe voyage or flight, a favorable route or shortcut, as emigration, or a need to change locations. Presently, tarot practitioners interpret it as representing completion or fulfillment, successful creation or manifestation, or the material world in general. Its reverse meaning suggests incomplete or unfinished business, the querent coming into a gestation period, or that some contemplation and meditation are necessary before moving on to their next task. Within its borders, the card holds the mysteries of creation, displays the intimate interplay between the masculine and the feminine, teaches us to respect and observe the balance of nature's forces, and demonstrates that the end of one cycle is never truly the end but is the creation of space for a new process. Contemplation and meditation upon this card will invite the Seeker to explore their universe and the dynamic complexities that operate therein. What amount of control or power does one have over their own life? How does one project their will into existence from a plane of mental obscurity? These are just some of the secrets contained within this card. Its correspondence with Saturn makes it as dense as lead, and its gravity is like that of Earth. Still, the Saturnine divine dancer reminds us that although we may only see what we perceive as ‘reality,’ the element of spirit pervades all things and is begging to be recognized to liberate us and guide us home.
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