by K. Scott Teeters - Reiki Master

(excerpted from "It's Time To Wake Up:
Reiki & Other Essential Tools For Spiritual Awakening"
by K. Scott Teeters - Reiki Master

(To learn more of what this is, go to the Astronomy Picture of the Day Site. CLICK HERE.

The Reiki Connection: The Traditional Usui Reiki System works DIRECTLY with the Chakra System. You literally pour Ki into the Chakra points of another person or yourself. Having a basic understanding of the Chakra System will enhance your Reiki practice tremendously. As you are moving through a Reiki session, you can direct not only your Ki, but also your thought energy towards the characteristics of that particular Chakra. During the scanning process that you do before a Reiki session, knowing the characteristics of the Chakras can assist your intuitive listening for what’s going on with the person you are working with. Also, understanding the Chakras can provide you with insight into behavior patterns. If someone is observably on a “power trip” you can access their energy based on that observation.

Chakra knowledge and Reiki work hand-in-hand. There are many excellent books on the subject. Carolyne Mase is one of the clearest teachers on the subject today. Her book, “Energy Anatomy” can provide you with a thorough understanding of the Chakra System of Energy.

A Basic Outline of The Kundalini Chakra Energy System

The work “Kundalini” is a Sanskrit word that means, “circular power.” As I mentioned in the section on Reiki and Ki, this is the Tibetan/Indian way of understanding Universal Life Force Energy. What makes this understanding so powerful is that it describes and shows exactly where on the human body this energy flows and the unique characteristics of the various Chakra points.

I think of Chakra points as “ports of entry / ports of exit” for energy. There are seven major chakra points and hundreds of minor chakra points. Each Chakra point has specific mental and physical qualities associated with it. During every moment of a person’s life, energy is moving in patterns that are determined by how “open” the Chakras are as well as the nature of thoughts being generated.

Chakras are opened or closed by the kinds of thoughts we choose, how we process emotional experiences, to some degree the foods we eat, the liquids we drink, and the kinds of physical experiences we have. It would be superficial to come to the conclusion that the optimum thing to do might be to “open up” all of the Chakras and then everything would be “better.” This is DEFINITELY not the case. Working with Chakra knowledge in a Reiki setting can assist the practice of Reiki, but is not the same as the intense energy practice of Kundalini Yoga.

Kundalini Yoga Energy is extremely powerful and should only be worked with incrementally, carefully, and with the guidance of an experienced Kundalini Yoga instructor. It’s very easy to over do it and have experiences that can be very frightening (not unlike a psychedelic experience that becomes TOO intense). Kundalini Yoga is an interesting spiritual path that requires intense concentration, strong visualization skills, and patience. There are many fascinating books on Kundalini Yoga that give vivid descriptions of the sensations and experiences.

A lot of people are what can be called “experience junkies.” Kundalini Yoga is definitely not for the faint of heart. I am in no way attempting to discourage anyone from doing this kind of work. It’s a lot like working with the circuit breaker box in your house. Turning off and on breakers is easy, but if you’re going to anything more than that, you’d BETTER know what you are doing. A jolt of 220 can be a shocking experience that you might rather not have.

Now that we have the Kundalini disclosure statement out of the way, we can get down to the basics of Chakras. I should also point out that the hard-ball-like path of Kundalini Yoga and the deep understanding of the Chakra Energy System is not necessary, or a prerequisite for practicing Reiki, but it can be a great tool to add to your Reiki tool box.

The Chakra energy model is an excellent method of understanding the ways that energy moves and how the qualities of the expressed energy changes as it moves in and out of the seven major Chakra points. Universal energy has within it ALL of the characteristics of all of the Chakras. You could think of each Chakra point as a filter with a certain “color/characteristic,” or as a “lens” that focus’ the Universal energy into a particular pattern. Indeed, each Chakra point is almost a world unto its own that has the ability to color and flavor many aspects of a person’s life.

So without any more postulation, here are the seven major Chakra points, their Color, Location, Elemental, Glandular, Physical, Mental, and Positive, and Negative characteristics. Afterwards I’ll talk about a unique way of envisioning the Chakras, as well as some ways of working with the Chakras when doing Reiki.

FIRST CHAKRA
Color: Brilliant Red
Location: Base of the spine
Elemental: Earth
Affected Glands: Adrenals
Physical Quality: Sense of survival and grounding with the Earth.
Positive Mental Quality: The beginning point of one’s entry into the world of pure intelligence.
Negative Mental Quality: Fight or flight thinking, ungroundedness and out of touch with the earth.

SECOND CHAKRA
Color: Brilliant Red-Orange
Location: Sex organs
Elemental: Water
Affected Glands: Ovaries or Testicles
Physical Quality: Sexual activity and sensory gratification and physical pleasure.
Positive Mental Quality: One’s drive for reproduction, sexual pleasure, and the orgasmic experience.
Negative Quality: Promiscuous sexual activity, base emotions, and lusting for things at the expense of others.

THIRD CHAKRA
Color: Orange/Yellow
Location: Naval area
Elemental: Fire
Affected Glands: Leyden
Physical Quality: Power over others and self. Mastery and control
Positive Mental Quality: One’s drive for power and authority. Self sufficiency and self reliance. Competence.
Negative Mental Quality: Over emotional, overly shrewdness, extreme competitiveness and intoxicated on power.

FOURTH CHAKRA
Color: Green
Location: Heart/Center of the chest
Elemental: Air
Affected Glands: Thymus
Physical Quality: Full range of physical sensations from joy to hard heartedness.
Positive Mental Quality: Love, compassion, truth and compassionate understanding.
Negative Mental Quality: Hard-hearted, closed, discompassionate, despairing, and feeling broken hearted.

FIFTH CHAKRA
Color: Silvery Blue
Location: Throat area
Elemental: Ether
Affected Glands: Thyroid
Physical Quality: Spoken logic and truth.
Positive Mental Quality: Kind words and thoughtful speech. Speaking of one’s truth.
Negative Mental Quality: The non-accepting of another’s views of one’s own views. Harsh, unkind or hurtful words. Verbal abuse.

SIXTH CHAKRA
Color: Blue/Purple
Location: Forehead/brow
Elemental: Mental
Affected Glands: Pituitary
Physical Quality: Seeing auras, energy forms and patterns.
Positive Mental Quality: Creative thinking, planning and visualization. Understanding the nature of things, direct knowing and intuition.
Negative Mental Quality: The choosing to ignore your intuitive senses, not seeing the obvious, confusion, condemnation, critical thinking, grudge holding, negative logic, and pessimistic thinking.

SEVENTH CHAKRA
Color: Brilliant White with Gold outer glow
Location: Top of the head
Elemental: Spirit
Affected Glands: Pineal
Physical Quality: Highly energetic and complete congruency.
Positive Mental Quality: One with it all, enlightenment and cosmic understanding.
Negative Mental Quality: Complete asleepness, lost in the illusion, no sense of brotherhood, and a lack of conscience.

An Interesting Visualization of The Chakras & A Few Observations

When I first started to study the Chakra System an interesting visualization came to mind. Here’s how I “saw” Chakras in my mind’s eye;

Imagine standing on a piece of two-way mirror glass, with the “clear” side being the floor that you are standing on. There’s another piece of two-way mirror glass overhead. This next level up has the mirror-side as the ceiling, so that as you look “up” all you see is your own reflection. If you’ve ever really looked into a piece of two-way mirror glass, you will have noticed that if you look into it in a certain way, you can kind’a, sort’a “see” what’s on the other side. But, you have to really “look” into it for a while, almost like looking at those computer generated 3D picture books that look like a strange pattern wallpaper. Well, just like it takes practice and intention to “get” how to see the 3D pictures, looking “through” the mirror ceiling is the same thing. But, at first glance, all that you see is the world of your own reflection.

So this Chakra System visualization is like a stack of two-way mirror floors and ceilings that we live in between. We CAN see through the illusion of our ceiling reflection, but it takes practice, patience, and intention. It works like this....

FIRST CHAKRA
When you are on the First Chakra Level, your entire world is concerned with survival. The First Chakra is at the base of the Kundalini and is where we are “grounded.” This is the same place as described in Maslow’s hierarchy of life as “survival.”. When people are completely in this Chakra, they are totally in “survivor mode”, and nothing else matters. The higher levels are nonexistent. When you look “up”, all you see is the mirror reflection of yourself working to survive.


SECOND CHAKRA
Once you get your survival situation secured and in place, the next level up is the Second Chakra. This is the realm of sensory gratification and sexual energy. When someone’s survival is at stake, they usually don’t get horny, and sex becomes irrelevant. However, once shelter and food is secured, you can start to relax, and begin to make your surroundings “nice.” You start making a nice nest and begin looking for someone to share your nest with. It’s called getting your own place and finding a relationship.

Now you’re comfortable on the Second Chakra Level, and the floor you’re standing on is clear and you can “see” the survival issues and all the activities that go along with it. You’ve mastered the First Chakra and now you get to sort out the details of the Second Chakra Level. Many people in the West live their entire lives almost entirely immersed in the first two levels. They look up, an all they see is the reflection of that reality. All that’s relevant to them is surviving, making a nice nest, and enjoying their sensory gratification. This can be called the world of, “More is better and bigger is best.” There nothing “wrong” about that – it is, what is – but there is so much more.

“Sensory gratification” is more than just enjoying sex, although at this level, this is where people with sex addictions live. The higher aspects of life are almost completely irrelevant. This is where people chase the American Dream... a bigger, better car, house, toys, foods, drinks, substances, relationships, adventures, activities, etc. Most of the American culture is rooted in the Second Chakra Level. Madison Avenue figured out decades ago that “sex” sells. Many people have observed that if you really want to make money in the Internet, create your own porn site. People buy that stuff like crazy. Hugh Heffner, Bob Guccione, and Larry Flynt have all built financial empires from the Second Chakra Level. This isn’t a judgment, just an observation.

Think of some of the people that you might have known who have spent the better part of their life either chasing the American Dream or who are immersed in the world of sensory gratification. Now, imagine trying to have a conversation with them about spirituality. Hmmm... That might be a stretch. What you’ll probably get is a blank stare. When someone is lost in that level, when they look up, all they see is their own reflection. The higher energy aspects are simply not there for them. It is almost completely irrelevant. I say “almost” because at the Soul level, all of this is available to all of us, because we are all One.

THIRD CHAKRA
Let’s now move up into the Third Chakra Level, the level of Mastery and Control. This is where business people, politicians, leaders, power brokers, control freaks, sports stars, some movie stars, rock stars, and power players live. They have risen above the world of sensory gratification... their passion is for power. For them, “power” is their drug of choice. Some at this level often hold the cords of powerful influences, others are like little dictators, or big fish in little ponds. At this level, they completely understand survival and sensory gratification, because they have passed through those levels themselves.

Now here’s where the understanding of the Chakra System gets interesting and can provide understanding. The current culture in the West is primarily rooted in the first three Chakras, with the Second Chakra calling the shots for most people. In our culture, we have been unwittingly trained to take energy and run it through our Second Chakra. This is why it often seems like there’s no escape from sexuality as a motivating force. We use sex and sexuality for almost everything from selling corn chips and soda, to cars and perfume. We love it, but it drives us nuts! When people move into the Third Chakra Level, many of them are VERY sexually driven, because our culture has habituated us to taking energy and pushing it through our Second Chakra. We see this manifest as politicians, preachers, and business people with ravenous sexual appetites.

People who are new to the realm of psychic energy often fall pray to misdirecting their new energy into old, familiar ways that have been built into our society. This happens because when we open up to psychic energy we are indeed pulsing out energy at a higher level, and can be VERY attractive. For powerful men, people usually hang on their every word... especially women. That kind of power can be an extraordinary aphrodisiac. When someone is drawn to a powerful person, they begin directing THEIR energy towards that person. Unless the powerful person is of high conscience or has been schooled in how to properly direct their energy and the projected energy of others... they will face tremendous temptation to take that energy and redirect it into their Second Chakra. Before they know it, they’re on the cover of the “National Inquirer.” ”NATIONAL PSYCHIC AND HIS LOVE SLAVES”

The results of this kind of misdirected energy can have national and international consequences. Leaders can fall and spiritual organizations can be shaken to their foundation. We’ve all seen this played out in the media many, many times. It’s become a new form of entertainment called “tabloid journalism.” If you were a conspiracy theory kind of person, you could draw the conclusion that we are being intentionally distracted by the going’s on of Bill and Hillary, Jesse, and Jim and Tammy... who ever. Maybe... but probably not. It’s just sensationalized, misdirected energy of high profile people. And it happens to low profile people as well.

But even that kind of fascination and preoccupation is a distraction and a reflection of the two-way mirror over our head. If we get patient, suspend our suspicion, and really look... we can see through to the Fourth Chakra, the Chakra of the Heart.

FOURTH CHAKRA
The energy of the Fourth Chakra is experienced as Love and Compassion. Except for people living completely in the First Chakra, concerned just with survival, almost everyone has had the experience of falling in love, or having been loved by someone. It is at this level where the higher levels become more transparent, easier to see into. Here is where we experience “falling in love”, the heart ache of a lost love, the compassion that reaches out to someone less fortunate, the grief over the passing of a loved one, the rush of joy from a child, or the flush of a parents pride in one of their children. It’s what makes people want to stop and smell the roses, enjoy a sunset, wonder at the clear night sky, watch children play, or enjoy a pet’s company.

Another common experience for people in the early stages of their Awakening is that of feeling overwhelmed by tragedy in the world. For the person who’s Heart Chakra has recently been opened, the unfortunate events of life can cause extreme heart ache. Without the deeper understandings of Life, things can sometimes be very difficult to look at. Many in the early stages of Awakening go through a period where they do not watch or read the news because it is too painful. Actually, it kind of goes with the territory. I still have a very hard time dealing with tragedy. In the last chapter there is an essay titled, “A Reiki Perspective On The WTC Disaster” that elaborates on my experience of processing and understanding the most tragic event of our times.

It is the absence of the pleasures of the Heart Chakra that sadden people at the end of their time, when they regret having spent so much time at the office. It’s what the Harry Chapin song “Cats In The Cradle” is all about.

On the other hand, the pleasures of the Fourth Chakra can add depth and beauty that can not be bought. Just “being” with a loved one... a hug from a child... a “look” from your lover... the joy of helping a total stranger, just because you “happen” to be there... beautiful music, art, sculpture, or words... can all deeply touch the Heart Chakra.

However, an obsession with the pleasures of the Heart Chakra can keep people stuck in the experience of the “beginnings” of relationships. Some people become addicted to the rush of the beginning stages of relationships. As in all things, the balanced “middle path” yields an extraordinary experience of life.

You can start to see a pattern within all of the Chakras where if the energy or preoccupation with any Chakra is out of balance, all sorts of problems can be created. A person can spend their entire life, chasing their tail, so to speak, within these Chakras. The good news is that at the Fourth Chakra Level, the higher levels are more easily perceived. When someone is immersed in the lower levels, the higher levels are almost completely irrelevant to them. Try talking with a guy who is perpetually on the make, about matters of the heart, love, compassion, or wisdom (“Say what?”). Try talking with a high powered business man or politician about wisdom, truth, and compassion. Most likely, those things aren’t even on the radar screen of their perception.
But just because you aren’t paying attention or have no awareness of something, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. Many completely enlightened individuals have walked the earth and have explained “how it is.” And several of them are still being talked about. Above the Fourth Chakra, the levels become thinner, more transparent... easier to perceive from the position of the Heart Chakra, but harder to remain within. The lower Chakras, at first, seem easier to stay within. Again, I want to emphasize that there is no judgment here, just the observation that the denser aspects of the lower Chakras can really get us into trouble. If you love drama, live from your lower three Chakras alone and your life will be a living soap opera.

FIFTH CHAKRA
The Fifth Chakra is located in the throat area and is associated with our speech, and how we talk. Most of us have been habituated to blurt out whatever pops into the front of our thinking. We have all experienced this as talking without thinking. “Open mouth and insert foot!” Remember the times when we have said things that we wish we could draw back in... but TOO LATE. There it is, it’s out, you said it, and now you have to back track to fix the hurtful thing that fell out of your mouth.

When I was much younger, I was working in an art department with a group of very sharp witted guys. You either got up to speed, or got verbally sliced and diced. So I sharpened my wit to survive. The down side was that I started bringing my newly sharpened wit home with me and rather quickly alienated a very good friend with something I’d said. After experiencing his cold-shoulder, it was explained to me why my friend was miffed. After that I stopped with the sharp wit routine.

On the other hand, we all have had the experience of someone saying just the right thing, at just the right time... that makes a huge difference for us. Years ago, when I was moving through my post-divorce life, I was talking with my mentor, Uncle Fred, about some things that I was anguishing over, particularly, the loss of my home and family. Fred wisely said to me, directly through his Fifth Chakra, “Scott, you have to see your apartment as a temporary abode.” That simple statement, made a HUGE difference for me. Fred’s words of wisdom completely reframed my situation, and helped reduce my anguish.

To live highly in the Fifth Chakra means to be acutely aware of how you are projecting your speech. Words can hit like a fist, most of us know that from our own hard experience of having been on the receiving end. On the opposite side, our words can soothe and inspire, uplift, calm, and express what’s best in us... if we are conscious and aware of our speaking.

SIXTH CHAKRA
The Sixth Chakra is located in the middle of the forehead and is often referred to as the “Third Eye Chakra.” The characteristics of this Chakra have to do with how we “see” things. This is the part of us that tags us as either an optimist or a pessimist... is your glass half empty or half full? For folks that are stuck in cynicism and pessimism, good luck trying to talk them out of it. They just can’t “see” it. There’s almost a perverse pleasure in always looking for the flaw, what’s not right and perfect. It’s the, “Yea, but...” way of seeing things.

Like all of the upper Chakras, being at either end of the extreme can be just as limiting, but in a different way. Often times we need to be aware of the darkness, the down side, or the possible negative aspects of a situation. Sometimes if our vision is clear enough, we can easily “see” someone’s potential and what they are capable of becoming. If “how” you are seeing isn’t balanced, you could champion someone in ways that aren’t appropriate because of other issues that need to dealt with.

Everyone’s potential is unlimited, but we have to “see” the whole person. I have known many artists who are sensitive, loving people, but their Second Chakra is out of control. They were gushing energy out from their Second Chakra faster than they could put it in. If I was only been looking at their potential, my observation and council would have been very incomplete.

But then again, on the other hand, an open and clear Sixth Chakra is the entry way to becoming a clairvoyant... someone who can “see” clearly the strong likelihood of an outcome. This often requires a nonjudgemental mind and trust in your higher guidance. This is also the place where your intuition resides. Until we begin to spiritually awaken, our intuition skills are at best, hit-or-miss. We can get a intuitive hits, many we miss altogether, and others completely blind-side us. And we seem to do this over and over and over... until the day comes when we get an inkling that maybe we ought to trust that little “sense” of what’s going on. This is the beginning of becoming an intuitive. The first step is “listening” to the ever so slight whisper, then having the faith to go with it.

I have lost track of how many times something fell apart or hit the fan, and in retrospect, I can go right back to a specific moment when I had the “sense”, but rationalized it away. “Oh, come on, give him a second chance.” or “How could I possible know that? I’m just being silly.” Then later, WHAM! Right up-side the head! “OUCH... I KNEW IT! Why didn’t I listen?” It seems like we have to get slammed around a certain number of times before we finally say to ourselves, “Okay... OKAY!!! I’ll listen... I’M LISTENING!!!”

SEVENTH CHAKRA
The Seventh Chakra is often called the Crown Chakra. This Chakra is the “port of entry” for Ki, or our life force energy. Interestingly, there are no negative aspects to this Chakra. The most common experience of the Seventh Chakra is that sense of “flow” that we all experience from time to time. It is that wonderful experience of feeling perfectly “right” with your life and the world. It is the “Enlightenment Experience,” the experience of “Samadi.” “One With Everything,” and many other names in all cultures.

Most of us experience it by accident, as something that “just happened.” Sometimes, we experience it as a wonderful, delicious, “flow.” This is the intentional destination of all spiritual paths. The Enlightenment Experience can happen in a thousand different ways, by a million different names, but the essence of the experience is the same. I like to think of it as “the experience” of the understanding that “We, are All One.”

As I mentioned in the beginning of this chapter, the Chakra System is a wonderful tool for understanding how energy flows through, colors, and shapes our life. It provides a structure for beginning to understand why things are the way they are. Not understanding, or even having the faintest clue of understanding can keep us pinned down in frustration, anger, resentment, and most of the things that trouble us.

Using Chakra Knowledge In A Reiki Session

When we practice Reiki, we are first of all, setting our intention for the highest and best good for all concerned. As you move through the Reiki session you are gently allowing Ki to flow through you and into the Chakra points of the recipient. This is intimate work and should be done with the utmost respect for the person receiving Reiki. You are working within another person’s auric field and directly with their Chakra points. That is why the pre-Reiki grounding, focusing, and intention setting is so important. It’s like a “Vulcan Mind-Meld” from Star Trek. With everything in place, as Ki moves through you, YOUR thoughts must be of the highest and finest you can create. Your thoughts are bundles of energy patterns and can ride piggy back along with your Ki.
As I move through a Reiki session, I meditate upon, think about, and communicate with each Chakra. I do this by focusing my attention on what I’m doing... I listen for whispering feelings and instructions... I dialog with each Chakra by reminding it of it’s higher aspects... Negative thoughts not only cloud the mind, but stagnate and pool up in the Chakra points, disrupting the normal, healthy energy patterns. By allowing Ki to loosen up and flush out negativity, the Chakra has a chance to realign itself with the other major and minor Chakras.

Also, As I move through the Reiki session I am feeling and sensing for anything that feels not “quite right.” I have to stress this one point. Don’t use Reiki or any other energy modality to play doctor. If you want to be an MD, go to medical school. I sometimes see Reiki and other practitioners who are caught up in an ego driven mission to battle traditional western medicine. An important thing to remember is this...

What you resists... persists...

That is because when you are resisting something, the very point of your resistance is EXACTLY where your energy is moving towards. Here is a very clear way to understand this. Get a partner, and both of you put your palms together and push hard against each other at the same time. Now, “where” is your energy while you are both pushing? Your energy is exactly at then point of what you are resisting against... your partner’s palm. Notice that the resistance you are giving has much of your “attention.” When we “resist” something, it has our attention, usually our FULL attention. And “where attention goes... energy flows... and results show.

Part of being a powerful Reiki practitioner involves TRUST. Reiki has its own intelligence and wisdom. It’s important to keep our ego as “Reiki Practitioner” out of the practice. Remember, our thoughts go along for the Ki ride. When you trust, and are without any agenda, what happens will be according to Divine Plan. And how do you “know” what the Divine Plan is? You don’t! This is where trust comes into play. The kind of trust that comes from the understanding that everything that happens in God’s Universe, is happening perfectly.

From the Christian tradition, we are instructed by Christ to “judge not.” This isn’t because if you do, you’re bad, or wrong ,or we ought not to, or shouldn’t. It is because at the Soul level, we don’t have a clue, what another Soul is attempting to accomplish... what his or her agenda for this life is. Most of us haven’t a clue what our OWN agenda is, let alone another’s. So, we must step back, do what we can do, and trust that what needs to work out... will work out.

Also, as you work through the Reiki session, you may begin to receive commentary, or information about the person you’re working with. If this happens, it is because your mind has become quiet enough to be able to pick up the still small voice within you. Here’s another place where trust comes into play. You may receive “something” that is completely irrelevant to you, but you are receiving it quite clearly! At this point, take the leap of faith and share it with the person you’re working with, either during the session (if they are awake) or afterwards. You can express it by saying something like, “This doesn’t mean anything to me, but while working with you, I had the sense that this message might be important to you.” Or something like that. Just keep your ego out of it. If you have a sense of “your ego”, keep it to yourself, it may have been for you!

Reiki can have a mystical aspect to it, especially if you become good at grounding, clearing, focusing, being quiet, and keeping your ego at bay. Practicing Reiki this way can put you into an aware Alpha state where you will have access to your higher self, ascended Reiki Masters, your Guides, Guardian Angels, or whatever way you experience Divinity.

Trust your Heart. By creating a sacred space before you begin Reiki, you are completely protected and have nothing to fear. Just listen and feel from your Heart Chakra. The Heart Chakra is the portal to your Soul, and your Soul is the connection point with the All That Is... where we are all One.

From your Throat Chakra, speak the kindest, most gentle words. Speak words of peace... words that sooth and heal... Words that inspire and are Loving...

From your Third Eye Chakra, trust what you see with your intuition... Look for the good in situations in a realistic way... See the good in everyone... Learn to recognize you own “still, small voice within” that is your direct connection to God, Goddess, All That Is...

By listening to, feeling from, and acting out of your upper four Chakras, with pure Life Force Energy pouring in through your Crown Chakra, you can not go wrong.

Namaste...

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