Do other witches dream of a fully functional tea garden of their own? Grapefruit mint is the prettiest mint I have ever grown, and also one of the tastiest. It’s nice to see it mentioned somewhere!
The-Wiccans-Glossary
A green witch is typically a witch who specializes and focuses on natural materials and energies. They are often skilled herbalists and probably enjoys gardening. Like a lot. You might be a baby green witch or an experienced one. Maybe even an eclectic one, no matter what, all is welcome!
I am most certainly not entitled to knowing everything about green witches but I want to help out some people when stuck on not knowing what to research.
As always, enjoy!
gif by @la-petitefille
🍄 plants!
🍄 edible plants :)
🍄 non Edible plants :(
🍄 other uses for non edible plants that’s not eating :)
🍄 history of herbal witchcraft
🍄 herbal brews
🍄 aromatherapy
🍄 drying flowers/herbs
🍄 harvesting flowers/herbs
🍄 endangered plants (so you don’t accidently pick them)
🍄 medicinal plants/herbs
🍄 teas
🍄 tinctures
🍄 meads
🍄 smoke blend recipes
🍄 different types of other natural based witches
🍄 seasonal magick
🍄 when to start sowing
🍄 when to reap
🍄 wheel of the year
🍄 types of plants
🍄 types of herbs
🍄 what types of animals/insects (bees, butterflies, etc.) do your flowers/herbs attract?
🍄 usage for *plant name*’s roots
🍄 usage for *plant name*’s stem
🍄 usage for *plant name*’s flowers
🍄 usage for *plant name*’s leaves
🍄 usage for *plant name*’s bark
🍄 usage for *plant name*’s seed
🍄 plants
🍄 what are herb sachets?
🍄 pressed flowers <3
🍄 smoked herbs
🍄 poisonous plants
🍄 essential oils
🍄 extracts
🍄 cacti/succulents
🍄 gardening 101 (hehe)
🍄 what are some good botanical books?
🍄 the fae
🍄 candle correspondence to elements
🍄 PlAnTs
🍄 houseplants
🍄 sage (god, I love sage)
🍄 lavender
🍄 rosemary
🍄 basil
🍄 chamomile
🍄 PLANTS
🍄 crystals
🍄 aloe vera
🍄 tea leaf readings
🍄 dear me, I almost forgot to mention plants
feel free to add on, loves!
♡ That naked witch in the woods
🌿 Use herbs in a pouch, or while cooking, and stir the mix or infusions to empower the spell to protect the home, any possessions, your workplace, and property. Use incense in sticks, cones, or as a powder incense and burn it on heated charcoal blocks and use a lighted incense stick like a smoke pen to write empowerments or symbols. 🌿
Allspice- for money,passion,swift-moving,or urgent matters.
Basil- for fidelity,prosperity,protection,and fear of flying.
Chamomile(Roman) and Chamomile(German)- for healing,babies,children, animals,and reversing bad luck. It also helps to attract money and is helpful in family matters.
Cedar/Cedar Wood- for healing,cleansing bad influences,negative thoughts,and harmony.
Cinnamon- for passion,regaining money after loss, urgently needing money and psychic awareness.
Dragon’s Blood- for fierce protection,anti-curse,any major enterprise, and male potency.
Fennel- for travel,house sales,and moves. It helps to banish and keep harm away from people,animals, and places.
Frankincense- For wealth,courage,joy,career,success,and travel. Also used in formal rituals.
Hyssop- For making a love commitment;healing;spirituality;all forms of protection, especially from psychic attack;and as an infusion to cleanse artifacts.
Juniper- purifies homes; protects against accidents,thieves,and illness;and male potency.
Lemongrass/Lemon- repels spite,malice,and gossip. It also helps with psychic awareness and travel.
Lemon Verbena- For breaking a run of bad luck,protection against negativity, the Evil Eye, and ill-wishing.
Mint and Peppermint drives negativity from objects and places,and brings money, health,love, and success.
Myrtle- For a lasting marriage,mature love, domestic happiness,property, and security.
Myrrh- For healing,peace,purification,overcoming grief, and protection against evil.Can be used in formal rituals and in moon magic.
Pine- Drives away harm from the home and family, especially newborn infants, cleansing negativity and malice, guarding property, and premises.
Rosemary- For learning,love,fidelity,prosperity,and banishing malevolence.
Sage- For longevity,good health,examinations,interviews,tests,protection of home and family,slow-growing prosperity, and wisdom.
Sandalwood- For spiritual awareness and healing,leadership,justice, compensation,and sexuality. Can be used in formal rituals.
Tarragon- The dragon herb,courage,and anti-bullying,and the shedding of old burdens,guilt,fears,and destructive relationships.
Thyme- Psychically cleanses the home,possessions,vehicles and land,health, memory of past worlds,and drives away nightmares and phantoms of the night.
Vertivert- For love, breaks a run of bad luck, protects against theft and negativity.
Grimoire ideas
About you:
How you got started in the craft
Your spiritual journey
Things you connect to (animals, elements, plants, ect)
Types of magic you do
Your natal chart
Your deities (if you have any)
Correspondences:
Remember, you don't need to write down correspondences you will never need! So instead, write about...
Crystals you have/want
Plants you can grow yourself/already have around you. Check your spice cabinet
And list things to use those for! So that would be herb bundles to burn, salves, recipes, and so on.
Other things you can use in magic that you already have
This would be things like sea shells, snail shells, grass, dirt, candles. Get creative!
Other witchcraft stuff:
Your sigils
Planets
The sun/moon +moon phases
Zodiac signs
The elements
Symbolism (animals, shapes, and whatever else you wish to add)
Spells:
What makes a spell that works!!! This should help with making your own spells
What NOT to do
Different types of spells
Spells you will actually use
Divination:
A section on tarot cards and their meanings
How to use a pendulum
Meanings of oracle cards
Rune meanings and how to cast them
Lesser known forms of divination!!!
Mental health:
Grounding and centering
Burn out care and being energy efficient
A list of what motivates you to do your craft
Small spells for self care
Astral work:
Your astral space (a map, a description, drawings of important locations)
Your astral body, if it's any different than your physical one
A list of spirits and important information about them
Protection, sheilding, banishing, and safety
Manners when interacting with spirits and what NOT to do
Methods of projection/travel that work for you
Post-astral grounding methods
General spirit work:
How to interact with spirits and how NOT to interact with spirits
Protection, banishing, shielding, and other safety things
How to give offerings (there's more than one way!)
Methods of communicating with spirits
Signs of spirits
Ways spirits can send signs and messages (animals, dreams, and so on)
A list of different kinds of spirits you work with/have encountered
A section for research, especially if you're doing deity work.
Grounding, if it helps you afterwards
A log of interaction with spirits. This can be like a divination journal but with spirits, if that's what you do.
Grimoire ideas
About you:
How you got started in the craft
Your spiritual journey
Things you connect to (animals, elements, plants, ect)
Types of magic you do
Your natal chart
Your deities (if you have any)
Correspondences:
Remember, you don't need to write down correspondences you will never need! So instead, write about...
Crystals you have/want
Plants you can grow yourself/already have around you. Check your spice cabinet
And list things to use those for! So that would be herb bundles to burn, salves, recipes, and so on.
Other things you can use in magic that you already have
This would be things like sea shells, snail shells, grass, dirt, candles. Get creative!
Other witchcraft stuff:
Your sigils
Planets
The sun/moon +moon phases
Zodiac signs
The elements
Symbolism (animals, shapes, and whatever else you wish to add)
Spells:
What makes a spell that works!!! This should help with making your own spells
What NOT to do
Different types of spells
Spells you will actually use
Divination:
A section on tarot cards and their meanings
How to use a pendulum
Meanings of oracle cards
Rune meanings and how to cast them
Lesser known forms of divination!!!
Mental health:
Grounding and centering
Burn out care and being energy efficient
A list of what motivates you to do your craft
Small spells for self care
Astral work:
Your astral space (a map, a description, drawings of important locations)
Your astral body, if it's any different than your physical one
A list of spirits and important information about them
Protection, sheilding, banishing, and safety
Manners when interacting with spirits and what NOT to do
Methods of projection/travel that work for you
Post-astral grounding methods
General spirit work:
How to interact with spirits and how NOT to interact with spirits
Protection, banishing, shielding, and other safety things
How to give offerings (there's more than one way!)
Methods of communicating with spirits
Signs of spirits
Ways spirits can send signs and messages (animals, dreams, and so on)
A list of different kinds of spirits you work with/have encountered
A section for research, especially if you're doing deity work.
Grounding, if it helps you afterwards
A log of interaction with spirits. This can be like a divination journal but with spirits, if that's what you do.
[credit: @risingwoman on Instagram]
Purpose: To banish and get rid of unwanted entities. It can also be used as an ingredient of other banishing spells though.
Ingredients:
Motar and Pestle
Sea salt
Cinnamon (to banish kindly) or Cayanne (to banish a bit more harshly)
Onion Powder
Sage
Black pepper
Instructions: Mix together ingredients. You can add intent now, but if you’d rather it be a bit more all purpose banishing, then add intent later. Put your mixture into a container. You can also add a banishing sigil on the container for some more oomph. After that you are done.
We are souls temporarily in bodies on earth. Our natural home is in the spirit world, often known as the “Other side”. Whether you realize it or not, We are constantly surrounded by spirits. They may be in human bodies (like ourselves) or “in spirit” form. Just like we have family and friends in this life, We have had other lives with relationships we have deeply cherished and nurtured. Certainly, there are other spirits we have known and loved in other lives that are “in spirit” here on earth. A spirit is nothing more or less than another person, They just don’t have a body. They really aren’t as mysterious or strange as they’re made out to be, I feel like spirits are really misunderstood.
PROTECTION Ok guys, when i say they’re misunderstood i don’t mean every spirit out there is fluffy and sweet. Protection is absolutely the MOST IMPORTANT PART of working with spirits. Like i said, they’re nothing more or less than another person. They are beings, they have their own personalities. Just like with people, Don’t give out your information or be too trusting. Spirits can lie, Spirits can have malicious motives, Spirits can be tricksters and just yank your chain (ever gotten on a Ouija and seen ZOZO or MAMA or freaked bc it was doing something you thought was demonic or enabling the spirit to escape the board? Yeah, you were part of a big joke buddy. Spirits cannot escape the board, they aren’t in the board in the first place.).
Ways to protect yourself:
-Wards, Physically or in the Astral Plane, where spirits typically reside or come from. Astral Projection is not something for beginners to attempt, You really need to know how to deal with and protect yourself from the beings in that plane.
-Protection spells, amulets or talismans
-Sigils
-I have a special tea i brew for myself before spirit workings that is my blend of herbs to protect me and get me in the mindset for spirit work. I also suggest cleansing your energy, Maybe a cleansing bath and a smudge session and some meditation, Clean your energy so no spirits leech off of your negative energy or sense any mental weakness to attack.
-If you are scared, don’t do it. Spirits can smell it from 30 miles away, and will use it against you. Be mentally prepared, protect yourself. (I want to add i have never had any run ins with malicious spirits, But they DO EXIST. Most spirits are kind in my experience.)
COMMUNICATION
You are probably not gonna just be able to sit down and speak to spirits. (They can hear you, But thats listening and not communication.) I suggest picking up a form of divination, like pendulum, dice, or a ouija board to start. Do not Ouija alone if it is your first time and you are unexperienced. You will receive fragmented bits of conversation likely, and this is normal. Start out with simple yes and no questions, and eventually you will work your way up to normal conversation with spirits. It takes time to grow these skills. When i first started i was pulling out my Ouija nonstop!!! Spirits mostly communicate in tattered words, pictures and emotions. Its good to practice energy work, Sensing the kind of energy spirits are bringing in. This way you’ll eventually be able to tell the difference between a malicious spirit and a kind spirit just by the energy its giving off. PRACTICE, Keep growing your skills.
INTERACTING WITH SPIRITS
Communicating and meeting with local spirits is the easiest way to start off.
A lot of people start off with nature spirits, they are much more patient than other beings. I suggest sitting in a forest or by a creek and seeing who wants to talk, but sitting on your back porch with your plants can be equally as successful. I didn’t start with nature spirits specifically, but they likely were the ones who came thru. Very patient and kind, even noting that my dog (who was wanting to come outside with me, but my patios very small and she’s very big) was being loud.
I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TALK ABOUT!!
Don’t worry, Here are all the ideas. Its nice to let the spirit share experiences with you, Keep in mind spirits have been around for a very long time, some since the beginning of time, and have experienced many things. I’ve heard some very cool stories.
Let me hear a love story
Show me a song from your people
Tell me something you’ve done that you are proud of
Tell me a little about your culture
Tell me your story
Do you have any jokes you can share with me?
What is your advice for me?
Who is the your peoples leader?(this can help you distinguish a timeline on when they were alive/where as well)
Is there anything about Human Culture you have questions about?
Do you speak more than one language?
SPIRIT WORK TIPS
Don’t give out the name that is the most important to you.
The ‘color’ of an energy doesn’t mean it will align with your own color meanings.
Don’t share how you’re protecting yourself, It is not wise and can help malicious spirits find points of weakness.
Don’t expect to hear voices or see spirits clear as day. The stories told on tumblr may be embellished to add understanding, or might receive messages in a less clear way than presented
If you ever feel threatened by a spirits energy or sense a negative spirit, Tell it to leave loudly and clearly. Do not show fear, Do not back down. Repeat and increase your intensity if it doesn’t stop.
This post is all based on my opinion of spirit work, and is not fact. I love spirits and spirit work so much, and i hope you do as well. Enjoy the spirits, Make some new friends! Love & Light, @lapiscat
Making a tincture involves steeping the herb or root in alcohol, extracting its oils, minerals, alkaloids, and glycosides so that it is in its purest form. You can use vegetable glycerin or apple cider vinegar instead, particularly in tinctures intended for children, but they aren’t quite as effective at pulling out the good stuff. You’ll need strong alcohol, at least 80 proof. Everclear works well, as does vodka or brandy. You’ll also need a pint jar to fill with the herb or plant you want—any of the herbs listed above will work here.
Chop the herb up a bit or bash it around with a mortar and pestle to help it break down. You’ll want the jar to be full, but not pack your herbs in too tightly. Then fill the jar completely with the alcohol. (If you’re using dried herbs or roots, you need only put in enough to reach halfway, and then add the alcohol up to the top.)
Seal the jar tightly. Label and date it, and let it rest in a cool, dark place.
For the first week, shake it once a day, then let it rest for five more weeks. At the end of the resting period, use a layer of muslin or cheesecloth held tightly over the jar to strain out the liquid. Decant the tincture into one of those small, dark glass bottles, preferably one with a dropper, and keep it stored away from direct sunlight. It should last for five to ten years.
It’s more trouble than it’s worth to make your own essential oils. A true essential oil is extracted by boiling the herb in question and skimming the oil off the top—that’s a task best left to the professionals. But you can make your own herbal oil. It may not be quite as distilled, but it can still be effective, and it’s a great way to preserve herbs for use long into the winter. The nice thing about creating your own oils is that you can use any combination of herbs that you desire. You might mix calendula, catnip, lemon balm, marshmallow, mullein, plantain leaf, and yarrow for an oil that is particularly effective for skin care, or lavender, vervain, lemon balm, and yarrow for a soothing oil to rub on the temples. Chop or bruise your chosen herbs and place them in a jar. Fill the jar with the carrier oil of your choice (olive or almond oil works well), covering the herbs by one inch, and leaving one inch of space at the top. Close the jar tightly, and allow it to sit in as much sunshine as possible for a month. Strain the oil through a cheesecloth on an as-needed basis, leaving the rest to continue steeping.
A poultice is a soft, moist mass of herbs, cloth, and other ingredients, and it’s an excellent tool for treating topical infirmities. A hot poultice is excellent for drawing out infection, as with bee stings or draining abscesses, while a cold poultice will help reduce inflammation. Gather the herbs you want to use, either fresh or dried. If they’re fresh, you may want to mash the herbs up in a mortar and pestle (the traditional way) or blitz them through a food processor (the modern way). Even if you’re planning on making a cold poultice, add a couple of tablespoons of hot water to your herbs to awaken them, before letting them cool. You can add medicinal clay powder, Epsom salts, or baking soda and combine with water until the mixture becomes a thick paste. For ailments like congestion or insect bites, you can place the poultice directly on the skin, making sure, of course, that it isn’t too hot. To treat a burn or something that could easily become infected, place a clean cotton cloth between the skin and the poultice.
Ashwagandha: The name translates to “smell of horse.” This herb is hard to find fresh, but powders, pills, teas, and extracts are available. Benefits: Increases energy, boosts the immune system, antiinflammatory, reduces anxiety. Suggested use: Stir ¼-½ tsp. powder into warm milk and honey before bed. Concerns: May increase thyroid hormone levels and lower blood sugar.
Black cohosh: This member of the buttercup family could be grown in a garden. Dried roots, capsules, teas, and extracts are also available. Benefits: Relieves menstrual cramps and arthritic pain. Eases symptoms of menopause. Suggested use: Drink as a tea or mix with honey as a syrup. Concerns: May cause upset stomach, so consider taking with food.
Calendula: Also known as marigold, this herb could be grown in a garden, but is also available as teas, oils, and creams. Useful for dyeing and food coloring as well. Benefits: Helps heal cuts. Good for diaper rash or other skin irritations. Calms an upset stomach. Suggested use: Steep petals in just below boiling water for ten minutes, then drink as a tea. Add dried flowers to coconut, almond, or olive oil as a salve. Concerns: None known.
Catnip: It’s not just for cats! Catnip is easily grown and also available as a capsule, tea, extract, and essential oil. It is also handy as an insect repellent. Benefits: Anti-inflammatory. Good for insomnia, upset stomach, menstrual cramps, headache, and treating the common cold. Suggested uses: Steep for tea, sprinkle essential oil into the bath or rub it on the temples, use in cooking (it’s a member of the mint family, so its flavor is better than some). Concerns: None known.
Cranberry: Easily obtained fresh or frozen and also available in pill form, this herb is a great source of vitamin C, fiber, and vitamin E. Benefits: Most frequently used to treat and prevent urinary tract infections. Also shown to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, slow tumor progression in cancer, and help prevent gum disease. Suggested uses: Because they’re so tart, cranberries often come with a lot of sugar. Try to buy reduced-sugar dried cranberries and stay away from most cranberry juices. If you can manage it, drink the unsweetened juice to relieve a UTI, and certainly try making your own cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. Concerns: None known.
Dittany: This is one of those herbs with a long history. It is also known as “burning bush.” Easily grown, it is hard to find in dried or tea form. Benefits: Antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial. Good for the skin and the intestines, and is thought to be an aphrodisiac. Suggested uses: Steep in hot water for tea, but use sparingly. Use as an antibacterial balm or poultice. Concerns: If you’ve put some on your skin, stay out of the sun, as it can increase the risk of sunburn.
Elderberry: This herb has been used to battle a flu epidemic in Panama as recently as 1995. It can be grown, but is also available as a pill or an extract. For your personal garden, look specifically for Sambucus nigra, as other elderberry varieties can be toxic. Benefits: Boosts the immune system, treats sinus infections, lowers blood sugar, acts as a diuretic and a laxative, good for skin health and allergies. Suggested uses: They’re delicious! Can be made into a syrup, jams, or jellies—even wine. Concerns: Don’t pick and use wild elderberry unless you’re absolutely certain the plant is Sambucus nigra. Always cook the berries to remove any toxicity.
Feverfew: This is another herb with a long history. Easily grown and available dried, it is most frequently found in capsule form. Benefits: For centuries, it was used to relieve fever, to assist with childbirth, and for fertility. Now it is most frequently used to prevent migraines. It can also help with tinnitus, nausea, dizziness, asthma, and allergies. Suggested uses: It doesn’t taste good, so not recommended even as a tea. Instead, make a tincture or purchase capsules. Concerns: If you do drink it, feverfew can cause irritation in the mouth. If taken in large quantities on a regular basis, stopping can cause withdrawal symptoms, so use only as needed. May cause the uterus to contract, so don’t take while pregnant.
Horse chestnut: This is not the kind of chestnut you’d want to roast on a fire, but it is still useful. It is not recommended for personal processing, as the seed contains esculin, a poisonous substance. Purchase an extract or pill instead. Benefits: Shown to be extremely effective against varicose veins. Also good for hemorrhoids and frostbite. Suggested uses: 300 milligrams of horse chestnut seed extract twice daily. Concerns: Don’t consume raw horse chestnut seeds, bark, or leaves.
Lemon Balm: This member of the mint family has a distinct lemony scent. It is also known as “melissa.” It is easily grown, but also available in tea, extract, and essential oil forms. Benefits: Calms anxiety, encourages restful sleep. Good for the skin, improves mood and mental clarity. Suggested uses: Steep fresh or dried to make tea, use in cooking, use to flavor honey or vinegar, use in a hot bath. Concerns: None known.
Marshmallow: Sadly, these are not the things we put in hot chocolate. The root is available dried, as well as in powder, extract, capsule, and tea form. Benefits: Aids with dry cough, represses inflammation in the lining of the stomach, good for chilblains and sunburn. Suggested uses: Drink as a tea, add to a base oil for a salve. Concerns: May cause low blood sugar.
Milk thistle: This herb is easily grown, as it’s pretty much a weed. It’s available as an extract, pill, or tea. Benefits: Milk thistle can protect your liver from toxins—say, for instance, alcohol. It can even be used to treat cirrhosis and jaundice and helps with environmental toxin damage. Suggested uses: Steep in hot water or make a tincture. Not recommended for use in cooking. Concerns: May cause diarrhea.
Mullein: This is the clear quartz of herbal healing. It is easily found and grown and available both dried and in capsule form. Benefits: Known particularly for respiratory relief, including cough, bronchitis, asthma, and pneumonia, it’s also good for earache, fever, sore throat, migraine, and to heal the skin. Suggested uses: Apply a tincture to relieve ear infection, drink as a tea, use as a salve to heal wounds and bruises. Concerns: None known.
Plantain leaf: Pretty hip these days, as herbal remedies go, plantain leaf is easily grown and available dried or in capsule form. Benefits: Great for the skin, particularly in relieving insect bites, poison ivy, and sunburn. Lowers cholesterol, helps clear up bladder infections, relieves constipation or diarrhea. Suggested uses: Make poultice with clay and water or make a salve with a base oil. Infuse vinegar to spray on the skin to provide pain relief. Drink as a tea. Concerns: None known.
Rue: This herb is also known as “herb of grace.” Easily grown, it is also available dried, in capsule form, or as an essential oil. Benefits: Used to promote menstruation, it provides a sense of calm and well-being and is good for relieving gas, mucus, and arthritis. Suggested uses: As an oil or poultice it can relieve croup or chest congestion. Drink as a tea to ease anxiety. Concerns: This one is serious—it can cause a miscarriage. Use in small amounts, regardless of whether or not you’re pregnant.
Valerian: This is an attractive addition to any garden, with a pleasing scent, but it is the root which holds the good stuff and that does not smell good. Easily grown, this herb is also available in tea, capsule, and extract forms. Benefits: Valerian is very effective against insomnia. It also calms anxiety and depression, and helps with ADHD and headache. Suggested uses: Drink a tea made from the leaves for a mild sedative, or steep the roots for something stronger. Add a tincture to a bath for a gentler, child-friendly alternative. Concerns: None known, but obviously don’t operate heavy machinery.
Vervain: Usually blue vervain is used, but other types seem to work just as well. Easily grown, vervain is also available dried or as an extract. Benefits: Helps with anxiety and sleeplessness. Also provides pain relief, eases tense muscles, and promotes an overall sense of wellbeing. Suggested uses: Steep in hot water as a tea. Not recommended in cooking, though it smells nice, so add a little to a bath. Concerns: May cause nausea.
Yarrow: This member of the sunflower family is easily grown—and quite lovely— and available dried or as an essential oil. Benefits: Relieves fever, as well as cold and flu symptoms. Relieves cramps, provides a sense of calm and relaxation, and aids in restful sleep. Suppresses the urge to urinate (say, during a UTI). Use topically for a rash or small cuts. Suggested uses: Drink as a tea in the evening to induce sleepiness or relieve cold and flu symptoms, or make into a salve for external use. Concerns: None known.
Keep reading
sacred geometry
what damages crystals
what is a crystal grid and how do i make one?
candle flame reading
bone correspondences
what is a poppet? how do i use it?
basic alchemical symbols
ways to break a hex
favorite cryptids and their lore
what is your philosophy on witchcraft?
what is a liminal space?
scrying
how to trap a spirit in a jar or mirror
ghost hunting
species of demons
witchy books you’ve read, and a review or rating of the book (go to archive.org for free pdfs for books)
I literally just reblog stuff for my Book of Shadows, feel free to use these too. Blessed be.
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