The most obvious thing to say about this card is that it is the final card in the series of the major arcana. In many ways the World is best understood as the opposite and complement of the first card in the series - the Fool.

As Crowley notes in 'The Book of Thoth':

"The Fool is the negative issuing into manifestation; the Universe is that manifestation, its purpose accomplished, ready to return."

He also notes that the Hebrew letters of these two cards, Aleph and Tau, when placed together spell the word 'Ath', meaning essence. So according to the principles of Gematria these cards represent the most fundamental nature of existence, with all the cards in between showing various aspects and stages of this one essential process.

As the final card in the series when the world card comes up in a reading it often speaks of endings and of completion. It is necessary, however, to be mindful of the nature of this ending, which is entirely positive and happy. The World card is, in fact, generally regarded as being the best card to find in a reading. A painful divorce, or the failure of a business, may well be endings of a kind, but such things are not indicated by the presence of the World card in a reading. In fact, such things are endings in only a superficial sense, as the love, desire, ambition, hopes and consequences and so on continue after the event itself, and are in fact more significant than the physical event itself. In relation to a divorce the World card would represent the final resolution of all the issues involved, the ending of grief, and the ability to put things behind you and move on.

The astrological correspondence for this card is Saturn, and one must also be careful in interpreting this association, as Saturn is the heaviest and most sorrowful of the planets and these traits are wholly inappropriate to the most positive card in the pack. The Saturn of this card is the Saturn of Binah, in its highest aspect as that dampening silence which leads us to peace and understanding; also indicated is Saturn manifested as 'Shabbathai', the 'restful' God of the Sabbath, the creator resting upon completion of his work.

In general the World card refers to the ultimate fruition of any venture, the satisfaction of the will, the completion of the work and the appearance of its rewards. Victory and success are indicated, but also a period of rest and relaxation following on from this, during which a person is able to enjoy the fruits of his labours without their peace and joy being disturbed by further ambitions and desires. Holidays or extended periods of travel may be indicated, and for an older person a comfortable and contented retirement is a common interpretation