Symbolism in the world card rider waite

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 09 Mar 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

gollog	09 Mar 2005
Hi all, This question has bugged me for quite a while, I couldn't find it when doing a search through the threads, so finally I decided to ask you guys. The world card of the rider waite holds something in her hands which look like two sticks. What are these and why is she holding these? hope you can help. Thanks, Gollog

HudsonGray	09 Mar 2005
I've always thought of it as the wand that the Magician is holding, only that she has two of them. They sort of look like candles burning at both ends, but I think they're just wands.

graylensman	09 Mar 2005
that was my take, too - the wand of the magician, the pose of the Hanged Man, the corner figures from the Wheel - as though to say you've mastered Power (Magician) Inner World (Hanged Man) and Fate (Wheel). But why she holds two wands, I've no idea.

similia	09 Mar 2005
Have read the explanation that she hold two of the magician's wands. The magician holds one, and it is a symbol of masculine power. The World dancer has two as a symbol of male and female integrated. (i.e. the masculine wand, and the feminine number 2)

scholar	10 Mar 2005
Hi, I've often got the world card in my readings, and those two "wands" have held a variety of meanings in different readings and for different questions. So here they are: 1. Indicating power and control over something 2. Obtaining a balance 3. Taking off from the above point, there is also harmony, and the card reminded me of an orchetstra conductor, it could be a card of a music-lover (I did this for someone once, and he's really crazy about music). 4. Handling a situation well- note that she's held the wands very gracefully 5. The wands could also be the baton of a relay runner, which further reminds me of those "messenger" days, where runners passed on a letter to a another waiting runner to ensure the letter reached fast, so it could indicate good news as well (esp. combined with any of the Pages) 6. also a card of an animal-trainer, notice the lion in the corner. That's all... hope it helps.

Fudugazi	10 Mar 2005
Waite and Colman copied from the Marseille World card, where the dancer carries two objects - one a stick, the other, a form of bag - although in on version she carries two sticks. These look like the stick that Le Bateleur carries - which was the origin of the Magician's wand in the RWS version. As for the four figures - they are also copied from the Marseille, which in turn was inspired from well-known cathedral iconography of Christ in a mandorla. They are not the Wheel figures (rather the other way round - Waite and Colman borrowed the four figures for their Wheel of Fortune), but the four evangelists, the four elements and the four directions of the World....

gollog	10 Mar 2005
Thank you all so much for your replies, they all make good sense to me and I never made the connection with the magician. Gives me something to ponder about. Cheers Gollog

kwaw	10 Mar 2005
Helvetica wrote: As for the four figures - they are also copied from the Marseille, which in turn was inspired from well-known cathedral iconography of Christ in a mandorla. This is the standard 'historical' view. Though no one agrees with me I think the the image is more closely related to the 'coronation of the anima' which is to be found commonly in alchemical texts, of which Waite would certainly have been familiar, which were themselves derived from iconagraphy related to the trinity, rather than 'Christ Triumphant'. If you are interested in this then you might want to pop over to the TarotL group and follow the 'around the world' thread where I have provided links to sources and images. There is also similarity between the central figure and some images of Eve, such as Ghiberti's eve, in which case her 'stick' could possibly originally have been a broken spindle [as in the image of ghiberti's eve, an image of which i have posted in the photo section of the tarotl group]. Kwaw

Fudugazi	10 Mar 2005
kwaw wrote: This is the standard 'historical' view. Though no one agrees with me I think the the image is more closely related to the 'coronation of the anima' which is to be found commonly in alchemical texts, of which Waite would certainly have been familiar, which were themselves derived from iconagraphy related to the trinity, rather than 'Christ Triumphant'. If you are interested in this then you might want to pop over to the TarotL group and follow the 'around the world' thread where I have provided links to sources and images. I'm very interested - thanks for the tip. Are the two incompatible?

kwaw	10 Mar 2005
Helvetica wrote: I'm very interested - thanks for the tip. Are the two incompatible? In orthodox terms I would say yes. The christ figure in the earliest deck to survive is clearly that of Christ as 'King of the Jews', not as the orthodox figure of Christ clothed and enthroned as within conventional images of 'Christ Triumphant'. In the Noblet this image appears to have been conflated with 'Eve', having lost its halo, gained breasts and a loin covering of leaves. The triumph of Eve I suggest subverts the anti-jewish polemics of orthodox didactic imagery. The central figure in TdM being related to the 'anima' would also connect it with neoplatonic schools [such as chartre and the later revival or continuation through the florentine platonists]that was rejected by the orthodox church for its inherent pantheistic tendencies. Kwaw

The Symbolism in the world card rider waite thread was originally posted on 09 Mar 2005 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.