I am an esoteric author, writing under the nom de plume of Josephine McCarthy, and I live in Devon, UK with my husband – the magical artist and classical ritualist, Stuart Littlejohn . His work can be viewed at his online gallery, where you can also purchase some of his original art work, at www.stuartlittlejohn.com
I have been active in magic since the 1970’s, and started teaching groups on various themes of Western Magic in Britain, Ireland, the USA and Canada in the early 1990’s.
In more recent years I have spent most of my time writing, working intensively with a small group of magicians and working on creative projects with my husband and magical partner Stuart Littlejohn. Stuart is a remarkable inspiration and a walking encyclopedia of classical magic/religion, as well as being a kick ass artist!
These days my time is taken up as the director of Quareia, a free online magical training course from apprentice to adept.
It is a vast project, covering the equivalent of fifteen good sized books.
I also work closely with Stuart on the development of Quareia Publishing UK and it’s secondary imprint, TaDehent Books, a micro publisher that produces affordable books and esoteric decks on various themes related to magic. You can visit our site here at Quareia Publishing
The awesome website/blog of Frater Acher, who convinced me to do the Quareia project, and who supports and hosts the course, can be found here at http://www.theomagica.com/
And finally here is a list of my published works to date:
- Azal: the Retelling of Eve 1999 (As Josephine Stewart)
- Magical Training of the Initiate 2005 (As Josephine Dunne)
- Stories From the Strange Side 2006 (As Josephine Dunne)
- The Thirteenth Manifestation: The Song of Kali Ma 2006 (As Josephine Dunne)
As Josephine McCarthy:
- The Exorcists Handbook 2010
- The Work of the Hierophant 2010
- Magical Knowledge II – The Initiate 2011
- Magical Knowledge I – The Lone Practitioner 2012
- Magical Knowledge III – Contacts of the Adepts 2012
- The Last Scabbard (Fiction) 2012
- Magic of the North Gate 2013
- Magical Healing 2014
- Quareia Training Books (15 titles) 2014 – 2016
- Quareia The Magicians Deck 2015 (with Cassandra Beanland & Stuart Littlejohn)
- The Book of Gates: A Magical Translation 2017 and second edition 2022 (with Michael Sheppard & Stuart Littlejohn)
- The Quareia Apprentice Study Guide 2018
- Tarot Skills for the 21st Century: Mundane and Magical Divination
- Mystagogus – a magical deck for the lone magician 2022
Josephine McCarthy 
In order to follow your blog, I have to register to start a blog on WordPress? Ridiculous.
Are you not on Facebook, where I can easily get your blog posts?
OK, got it (below). But it would be easier to follow your posts if you put a Follow button via Facebook.
Thanks
Sue Ploeger
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That link is now innerconvocation.co.uk & seems to be pwned by an RJ Stewart now.
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if you look closely, the link is innerconvocation.co (dot Columbia), the innerconvocation.com and .co.uk and lots of other permutations were grabbed by RJ Stewart. Innerconvocation.com was my original website, which he snapped up as soon as it expired. He has hoovered up just about every version he could… but he missed one. He was determined to wipe out any history or connection between me and that name. If you check the web history of those sites, you will find that they are locked down (waybackmachine) so that no one could research the early history of that website.
but in this day and age of the web, you cannot re write history quite so easily 🙂
Josephine
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Too many cotmpilenms too little space, thanks!
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Hi, I just wanted to say thanks for setting up Quareia. I’m new to Magick, although I’ve been interested for a long time and joined a coven 20 yrs ago (and left after only a few weeks which is all it took for me to see that it wasn’t for me). It wasn’t until information became available on the internet that I really started pursuing it about a year ago.
I was a chaos magician right from the start without knowing it. I read the Goetia and thought “a 9 foot circle ? The foot was only standardized in 1959, Demons, if they really exist, have been here since time began, why would they care”. I’m not religious so I didn’t feel that all the Jewish god names were relevant to me. The same with days of the week and hours – both recent (in evolutionary terms) human constructs. So I did an evocation at a time convenient to me, with a circle of salt and my own words where I made a request not a demand. The first time I started to feel silly and I stopped. I tried again a few weeks later, I kept my focus, I saw/felt/heard nothing, but it worked – I got what I asked for and I was hooked.
Obviously, to continue developing I need to do more than evoke (and I’d like to hear or see something when I do) and then I discovered Quareia – just what I need.
One question, sometimes when you desire a result in your life, it’s not obvious, when you work back from the desired result, what type of ritual/entity/intent etc is most appropriate. Do you give advice on this kind of thing?
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HI, Yes, the powers have always been here, and they really don’t give a shit about all the elaborate stuff. So you are on the right track!
If you are asking spirits for things (much better than demanding), it is wise to ask for what you need that you cannot get by ordinary means. Loads of good reasons for that – the main one being they will eventually stop working with you (they just zone you out as you get annoying after a while) so when you are in real need or danger, you will have no help.
If you are wishing to experiment, you can have good strong contact/connection without having to ‘ask for them to produce something’, ask to learn more about them for example… ask for learning… its far more valuable than a night in the sack with the girl down the road.
I didn’t understand your question, but in general, no I do not give advice on that type of thing.
Best, J
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Josephine, I absolutely love your first book and am reading it now. I received your second one yesterday and thumbed through it. Can’t wait to read it. My dilemma…I am 63 years old and have wonder about how far I can go here considering my age. I have practiced now for years and love the ritual with the candles and the casting of the circle. I was lead to your books for a deeper more meaningful relationship with my soul and the divine. Mostly, living in America, I am experiencing more of a Native American spirituality through visions of my past lives as a Shaman Woman of the Eagle clan. There has been a huge opening mostly through dreams and conversations with my recently past ancestors, especially my Dad. In your first book, you talk about a year of work going into the Library. I am excited to experience this. I also love the tarot Desert Spread which has been extremely helpful for self assessment. Do you have any specific direction or advice? It would be greatly appreciated. Your teaching have been so inspiring to me and I see a great opening here. Bless you, Debi
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age should be no decider in your magical future. We can die tomorrow or in many decades time. Just do what you do.
J
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Thank you, Josephine! Your help is greatly appreciated. I will carry on with my magical work.
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Josephine,
You are a great writer and a deep philosopher.
Greetings from Milwaukee!!!
Thomas
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Thank you Thomas, for you kind words! I used to live in Milwaukee back in 2002/3.. small world!
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You are truly a world traveler, Josephine.
If you would, say ‘Hi’ to me: tmp3@live.com. I would love to hear more about your time in Milwaukee! Thanks 🙂
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You are truly a world traveler, Josephine.
If you would say ‘Hi’ to me: tmp3@live.com.
I would love to hear more about your time in Milwaukee! 🙂
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Much as I would love to get into conversations with folks, at this time I have no spare time at all. The course takes all the time I have. But nice to know there are magicians in Milwaukee!
Jx
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Yes, there are. We meet at a very special place: A loft that serves as a ballet and flamenco studio during the day. It overlooks Botanas and the rest of the city. It is extremely beautiful at night.There is a tapestry of the Dark Mother and the place smells of incense. I am sure there is no other place like it anywhere.
I wish you the very best, Josephine.
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ohhh that sounds rather familiar…..
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Josephine, sorry for a bit of an off-topic question, but Quareia site has been quite for some time now. Any plans regarding when you might start adding new modules? Not that I’m done with all of those that are already up, but as I move through Apprentice section, I’m starting to get alarmed whether the course will not be dropped in the middle. Thanks and all the best!
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hi Alex,
I am just about to post on the Fb Quareia site… no, it has not stalled, quite the opposite. Im now working on Initiate module 3. We have all been really busy, so the posting up of the lessons has taken a back seat as we don’t expect anyone to have reached it yet, but they will be up in the next couple of weeks. We have been working on some paperbacks of the course, a card deck that works with the course (or not, if people just want to work with the deck), both of which will help with the fund raising. And we have spread the work load out a bit with the formatting of the on line lessons, so it has taken time to find ways for Michael, who is taking over the layout of the lesson, to keep to the style that Acher worked with. So yes, it is all still ticking along, I am still writing the lessons, and we have two modules going through formatting ready to be uploaded when they are finished. it has been a tremendous work load over the last few months, as everyone who helps also have their own jobs.. but we are getting there. No fear, it is continuing and will be finished.
Best, Josephine
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Thanks, Josephine! This is what I wanted to hear 🙂 Also stoked to learn that there will be paperbacks and a deck to work with!
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Hello Josephine, I was led to your online presence after reading a book of yours. Having been attracted to magic all my life, but never really getting involved, I have been an astrologer for many years. I would just like to tell you that I have found your writing truly profound, in a way that makes the subject so real, it has been a revelation. Your down to earth honesty and total humility make a refreshing change in the “occult” world, that is so overwhelmed with unnecessary embellishment. I enjoy keeping up with the comments and am working through things at a desperately Saturnine pace. I read some of the lessons in module 9, on the Planetary energies, and it really was a treat. Thank you so much for making all this work available in such an accessible way, it gives me great hope that even if I don’t get there, that others will, and be able to help our world in its time of need. Blessings to you.
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HI Jayd,
Thank you that is lovely of you to say so…. and I think approaching magic at a ‘Saturnine pace’ is probably the best way to go… real art takes a long time and needs a careful approach. I’m really glad you are doing the work and it will be interesting to see what you make of it as an astrologer!
Best, Josephine
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Hello Josephine.
I have been reading the lesson on Fate and learning about it. You recommend the student to look back with their memories to figure out the weaves of fate. My concern is due to how fallible one’s memory can be. There is a mundane technique called “gaslighting” which can be used to implant false memories into a person. False memories do occur. https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/false-memories
How can a student over come this fallibility?
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HI Mossel, this is not really a concern with this type of magical working as false memories will dead end and the mind will shift. It is not done in isolation and also is about learning a technique. Also some people draw back from this because of painful memories, and this, along with false memories (memory is dodgy anyway) really becomes irrelevant. It is about learning to cast back the mind and anchor that point in time to work out from. You may have false memories from a point in time, say five years old, but you were still five, regardless of what you remember… it is about magically anchoring that age point and moving from there outwards. As with all things in this course, you do it, work it and then ponder, rather than ponder it before hand.
Best, Josephine
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I’m trying to put my house in order as you often advise before I do.
Its an undertaking…
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I have three thinks to say:
1) Thanks for quareia
2) Thumb up for the website
3) Good luck for the future
Greetings from germany
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Thank you Felix, and all compliments for the website go to Frater Acher who is a brilliant designer (as well as an awesome magician).
regards, Josephine
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Another question. I been reading alot of what I can learn. I have read about how spirits on some forums have “augmented” the magician where they become dependent on them and no longer are able to be their own power supply. What type of spirits do this, why and how can one get out of it?
No, this has not happen to me but I have read about it happening to other people.
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Don’t believe everything you read on forums…… magicians can become dependent upon spirits, usually out of sheer stupidity, but they cannot block you from your own vital force. Usually such a situation is where someone has a relationship with a parasitical spirit that is feeding off of them and a co dependance happens. That is usually where someone who is inexperienced is playing around with things they do not understand, usually when wanting something (money magic is a classic). Such a situation would drain the energy of a magician, but it would not block their own access to vital force.
A good clean up and learning to not be stupid would sort that problem out.
J
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“A good clean up and learning to not be stupid would sort that problem out.”
A lot of your work differs from other people who write about working with spirtual forces in the regard of “what not to do”.
This is more valuable then any other ritual or technique out there. Too may books teach about how make dymanic but not about the dangers working with or how to make it safely!
I recently read your entry on scapegoating and because of that, I no longer go to local coven meetings. I wish there was a book more on the common pitfalls and what to avoid or not to do .
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Best advice for a way forward in magic is use your common sense, be ethical, sort out your own shit and clean your own mess up: take responsibility for yourself, and if something does not feel right, don’t do it. Its as simple as that. The rest, well, you will make mistakes, we all do, and that is how you learn, not by just reading books. You have to find the first step on the ladder of magic; Man know thyself…… think about what drives you, what tempts you, what your wants are, and then what your actual needs are…. from there, you will be fine.
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“Best advice for a way forward in magic is use your common sense”
Common sense dictates magic doesn’t exist. The rest rings true for any endeavor one may need to accomplish in life.
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Hi, Josephine.
I would just like to show my sincere Gratitude for all of the time and dedication you have put into Quareia! 🙂
I have spent the last many years searching (although I didn’t know what I wanted to find then), and eventually came across writings of many well known 19th century adepts such as Dion Fortune, Crawley, Eliphas Levi, etc. After studying everything I could get my hands on, I was very lacking in the practical aspects of occultism (other than the few practical techniques that could be found which where riddled with blinds for non initiates so of very little help), along with lacking a modern outlook, and practical experience with much if what I had learned (dogma yay! :D). Basically, you’ve helped me out of the [learn with very little practice] rut, and given me a strong push forward. For that I am externally grestful.
Best of wishes to you, your family and Frater Archer! 🙂
-Josiah
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thanks! and you are most welcome…. glad you found us
Josephine
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Dear Josephine,
I moved with my family to the Flathead Valley (Montana) a little over a year ago. I understand you spent time living in Montana as well. I think I have attracted the…attention? curiosity? of some ancient land spirits here. (I do energetic healing and readings, so I am making some energetic waves.) I read the first chapter of your Northgate book and am reading Margie McArthur’s Faery Healing. I would love to know if you have specific advice on relating to this area. I heard a rumor that the Native tribes wouldn’t live on the land I am on (farmland), they would only do rituals on it. We did ask the land if we could build our earth berm shelter and buried a penny as offering. I appreciate any wisdom you are able to pass on and send my blessings to you and your work.
Katie
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I know that area pretty well and there are some powerful spots there. Most of what you would need t know is in the North Gate, and you would just adjust the work as needed for your own land area. Some of it will be relevant to that area, and some will not. Sadly I do not have time to write out what you would need to know specifically, as I am on a heavy writing schedule, but you should be able to figure it out for yourself from the North gate and from also communing directly with the land there.
Best of luck, Josephine
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Thank you Josephine. I appreciate your time. And your writing!
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As someone new to magic (all paths keep leading me here), I’d been feeling like I needed to find a teacher or group to work with. I’m thrilled to find your blog, and want to say thank you for the inspiration to stop the search for a group and to do what comes naturally to me – which is to explore things on my own. I’ll be checking out your curriculum very soon!
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Thanks for your kind comment and good luck on the journey. xxxxx
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Hi Josephine, been reading your book on exorcism. Any advice for finding an exorcist? I’m south of the bay area in California. Thank you!
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Josephine, do you think martial arts is good way of developing discipline and grindstone stuff?
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yes, it can be. Any physical art form that takes a lot of discipline and training is very good for a magician. I trained in Chinese and Korean martial arts, and classical ballet…and those were all very helpful for my magical development. And my magical development was very good for my physical art forms.
Also soft forms like Tai Chi are really good for magicians to help with moving power around.
J
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Hello!
I found you listening to the runesoup podcast. And I just wanted to say thanks so much for providing a free course! I’ve found it very difficult to find good and affordable information regarding magic and the occult, and I know putting together a lesson plan is a ton of work. So thanks for going to the trouble of doing so.
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You are most welcome Audrey. Glad you found Quareia and are interested in it.
Best, Josephine
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Hello!
I was wondering if your take on talismans according to your book Magical knowledge (Don’t use talismans unless you really have to; it is a last resort. But only using
them as an emergency stopgap, you will find you gain a great deal of magical
strength over the years. Those who wear talismans all the time tend to
eventually end up weak and damaged as their own inner immune systems have
not been activated or challenged.
Magical Knowledge:) applies to those made by Walter Ogris I ask this because I saw an interview on the links that you provided Frater Archer. It cause some confusion as he basically recommends them and you two seem to work together in your magical course. Please clarify.
I couldn’t find a private contact so I posted here.
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Different magicians have different opinions on talismans. I recommend Walters talismans as second to none, but only if you really need them. If you are trying to develop as a magician, then they should only be used as a very last resort, otherwise you will not learn what you need to learn. If you are an adept and are able to make wise choices, then Walters talismans are perfect for a short term protection as needed. The best way is to do your own, so that you learn many lessons. Look upon talismans as antibiotics: if you are really sick with a bacterial infection, they can save your life. If you just have a minor cold, they will do nothing, if you are mildly sick, it is better to first let your own immune system fight, so that it grows strong.
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Thanks for replying ,I’m no adept, its just very confusing when you read one persons opinion then someone else completely disagrees sometimes to the point of arguing and I mean between magic practitioners / adepts or self professed adepts. People tend to forget the the seeker is just that a seeker. and during that seeking people tend to go from place to place, teacher to teacher trying to find a place/ method where they fit in or can call their own. No easy task I might add considering the amount of vultures posing as teachers/adepts these days willing to take milk from a stone. So thank your for your advice it is greatly appreciated. I was reading that you had closed your old site inner library I think. Are the path-workings still available ?
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People disagree because they have different experiences, or less/more experience, or sometimes they are simply an armchair magician. But any art as complex as magic is going to have different opinions; the student needs to navigate their way through that, by first thinking for themselves and not wanting bullet point ‘truths’. Life, magic and any real arte does not operate in absolutes.
I took the inner library down as it had served its purpose. My work is now here https://www.quareia.com/#main
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Greetings! I’m a 38 year old homeschooling Dad, living in the states…I would consider myself to be a spiritual being, with a daily meditation and yoga practice…I’ve been interested in the occult since an early age, and have dabbled here and there over the years…I recently began studying sigil magic, and this morning, after a long meditation session, I happened upon a conversation on Reddit which linked to your Quareia course…to say that I feel as though I finally found a way would be un understatement!
I grabbed a notebook and pen and decided to set-off on this journey. Although I am an experienced meditator, I am taking my time with your techniques, and I can’t even describe how excited I am!
Thank you for making this course available…
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Hi Ryan, I am so glad you have found Quareia, and I hope you enjoy it. It is a bit of a tough long road, but if you homeschool kids, then I am guessing you can do tough! Good luck on your journey, and thank you for your kind words xxxx
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Greetings Josephine I was born with a very strange consciousness having complete astral awareness and little outer layers everything I process and do is connected to my constant lucid dreaming ability .I also had ADHD and sadly had a very bullying father which shaped my inner world in a difficult way .When I was 29 I went to work in buckfastlegh in Devon and ended up following a chance encounter ,following the Carlos Castaneda path under the guidance of a sixty year old woman who put me through hell I ended up after six months through various techniques she was using completely outside my energy field and completely empty of thought and everything else at one with the spirit eg but unable to handle the extreme reality of being a homeless hobo I returned home to bath and paid a terrible price as my energies began to return slowly it’s taken me ten years to recover and am no longer hyperactive the big ball of white energy I used to see inside myself is no longer there .I can still astrally travel and lucid dream all the time but hold a great deep sadness and confusion to what I am and how to proceed spiritually I was advised to contact you by my partner no body else has really been able to help me or advice me properly and the inner guides I have and worlds and landscapes I see no longer hold fascination or meaning for me although I can’t get rid of them would you very kindly have any advice to give or help kind regards Simon taddefay
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HI Simon, The best advice I can give is for you to back away from magic and inner work… if you are so ‘see through’, you really don’t need to be doing it and it will only aggravate your system.
Rather learn to live a normal life as a ‘magical person’…. it is all around and within you…. doing magic is unnecessary for people like you – you already ‘are’ magic. Your job is to learn to function as a living person while being so sensitive.
Turn your attention to creative physical things like painting, sculpture, pottery, building etc, to give it a creative physical outlet, which in turn will take the inner pressure off of you.
Best of luck, Josephine
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Thankyou Josephine I do agree with you it’s just at a deep dream level I have always had three beings that seem to play astral ping pong with me which makes me pace up and down in real time. Because I don’t have an effective shell there is not much counter force or will. I am trying some Buddhist dream techniques to try and ease the situation i know that beyond these beings there is spirit it’s just always puzzled me why they are there my nervous system seems to be wired up to them. but yes you are right I need to focus on the magic of life and creativity really helps thankyou for replying best wishes simon
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