Purge & Keep Spread
This spread takes a look at the various aspects of your life and advises you on what is the most pressing thing for you to remove and on what is important for you to hold on to and nurture. The reason this spread includes both letting go and holding on is that what you need to purge directly influences what you should keep and once you let go, you will experience an energy shift.
Purge & Keep Spread
Choose: Begin by choosing one life topic for your first spread: work, romantic relationship, spirituality, children, family of origin, household, health, friends, etc.
Shuffle: Starting with all of your cards facing the same direction (upright), shuffle your deck keeping all cards facing that same direction. While shuffling, hold in your mind the area of your life in question. Do not focus on any specific detail or you will influence the reading. (If you want to work on a specific issue, you can use this method with questions that directly address that issue, but do this at a different time. For now focus on receiving the critical messages of the current spreads.)
Upper Left: What should I let go of? Turn the deck widdershins (counter-clockwise) until it is in reverse position and shuffle once more time. Pull the top card and place it face up at your upper left. This will be a reverse card, so you will focus on those meanings, but keep in mind the upright meanings as they can sometimes help clarify. Remember that not all aspects of a reverse card are necessarily negative.
Lower Left: How will I benefit and grow as a result? Turn the deck deisul (clockwise) so that it is upright again and shuffle, focusing on this question. Pull the top card and place it face up under the previous card.
Upper Right: What should I hold onto and nurture? Turn the deck twice deisul, ending upright again, and shuffle while focusing on this question. Pull the top card and place it at your upper right.
Lower Right: How will I benefit and grow as a result? Shuffle, focus on this question, then pull the top card and place it beneath the card on your right.
Read: Now read the cards on the left, then the cards on your right. If you need clarification, you can draw more cards. First, turn the deck according to what question/card you need clarification on — widdershins/reverse for the top left card (let go of) or deisul/upright for the other 3 cards (keep and benefits). Shuffle each time while focusing on what you need clarified, and place the card next to the one in question. Work one card at a time. You can draw as many cards as you need, but usually one or two is sufficient. If your spread seems way off base, take a photo of it for future reference, center yourself, then start the spread over or move to the next life topic.
Next: Once complete, pick up all of the cards, put them back in the upright position, and start the spread again with the another aspect of your life in focus. Perform this spread for each aspect of your life, one at a time. And take your time, you do not have to do them all in one day.
Note: It is best to do this spread for yourself, but you can perform it for someone else, as well.
Example: Below is an example of a spread for someone else. The area of life in question is “Romantic Relationship.” Make sure to read left and down, then right and down.
Left – What should I let go of?
Right – What should I hold on to and nurture?
U. Unified love, partnership, mutual attraction
This woman’s relationship is in disharmony, a lot of bickering, distrust. She reveals that she has been thinking about ending the relationship for some time, but was not sure if that is what she should do since she is an older woman.
She is very spiritual and he pretends to be, but in reality does not practice. She noticed that a few years into the relationship she had given up on her dreams, partially because her partner does not see that life can be any better and will not take any steps to make improvements. In addition, there are financial issues because her partner has not worked in some time, so every bit of savings has been used for daily living expenses. She used to feel that she was meant for bigger things, but now her life feels very small.
What she should keep (0r in this case, regain) and nurture is her passion, ambition, and desire to succeed. The relationship that she is in holds her back. Her partner is happy with the status quo, which is fine for his life, but does not allow her to move forward.
Left – How will I benefit and grow as a result?
Right – How will I benefit and grow as a result?
How she will benefit from purging this person from her life as a lover is that it will open up the possibility of partnering with someone who shares her spirituality. She knows that she will receive some financial backing that she needs to pursue her dreams and further her spiritual work (which will help many people) if she leaves this relationship. Accepting this backing and forming this spiritual partnership while in her current situation would cause further conflict in her already unhappy relationship. So letting go will free her to move forward in her spiritual work and allow her to correct the financial complications that she has been dealing with.
How keeping these aspects will benefit her is that she will gain the help and guidance of a masculine figure who is more focused and financially responsible. It will also allow her to regain and develop these “masculine” aspects for herself, as she will be able to begin building a solid foundation for her spiritual career. She will be more confident, grounded, and have better control over her life.
We would love to hear from you, please comment below on your experience with this spread.
