Because it has been placed as the final point and in the position of fulfillment, The World indicates a major realization. It is an accomplished person, a soul in full joy, a perfect world, a happy marriage, worldly success. This card can also inspire travel: the discovery of the world in the literal sense of the term.
On the other hand, if the card appears at the beginning of the reading, it will represent a difficult beginning: realization is demanded before any action. The card is not in its rightful place and becomes an imprisonment. We could then look for traces of the first traumatizing experience in the intrauterine life or birth of the person receiving the reading, which has therefore formed an obstacle to future development. If we wish to avoid these kinds of speculations, we will need to take into account the closing evoked by Arcanum XXI placed at the beginning of the spread, and ask ourselves how and why this person is “stuck in his or her shell.”