The World

This card of the Sharman-Burke and Green deck is represented by Hermaphroditus, the child of Aphrodite and Hermes. Ashamed of his illicit birth, Aphrodite confides her male child to the Nymphs. He is raised in the forest and at fifteen when emerges he is a savage. He emerges in Bodrum, Turkey near the Island of Rhodes. There he decides to bathe in the tranquil blues waters. He is spotted by the nymph Salmacis who rules the pool. He must have resembled Tarkan, because she is enamored by his beauty. She springs on him, forcefully kissing him as she herself wraps around his body. Hermaphroditus is repulsed, because the savage believes she is trying to devour him like a snake. In the struggle she clenches his breast and shouts "Oh Gods! Grant that we shall never be parted" and their bodies became fused as one. Hermaphroditus is him shame curses the pool, and all bathers will suffer the same curse.

In this pictorial see the dancing Hermaphroditus who emerges from the cave as the Fool. The four elements depicted on this card are water, fire, earth and air. It depicts the emergence of a new personality born of these elements. Surrounding the fused couple is Ouroboros, what Plato described as the first living thing in the universe. It is the reptile that is circular and self-consuming. It represent the recreating of one's self.

This card represents the need to let go of the past. This is especially significant when you are repulsed by someone who has overpowered you. It is in repulsion and fear of being devoured that we become fused with this painful experience. "This is the most abstract images of the Tarot, and is therefore a difficult one to comprehend. the world dancer assembles the cast of reality in a festive dance, turning all creation into unity with its creator. The dance is a journey through the Tarot, and as you dance you become one with it. The dance and the dancer fuse to enter a close circle of completion, thus becoming one with the the world and it's Creator. This is the dance of mankind. To attain your place in the World is to know everything, forgive everything and to love everything." From the Mythic Tarot Workbook by Juliet Sharman-Burke. Like the World dancer in this image, you can dance on a pale blue background withing a golden sphere.

This image reminds us that polarity and duality keep us from the World dance. It is only when we become one in the dance that we truly experience our spirituality. In order to find peace, we must savor the present. We must contribute our energy to the dance. We must become committed to the dance to synthesize unison and completion. We must be committed to dancing our dreams in our to bring all the parts of ourselves together.

I know that I am happiest when I am dancing with my "Sisters of the drum." It is there that we are one with the rhythm of life.