The Twelve Archetypes of the Zodiac
The twelve archetypes of the zodiac are universal
patterns of resonance. They describe the stages in the process of the
universal holomovement. Every facet of this process is a reflection of
unity and takes place within unity. The centrifugal force resonates as
the elements Air and Fire; the centripetal force resonates as the Water
and Earth element. The gestalt of wholeness of yin and yang resonates as
Ether, the ultrasonic field which is the medium of physical
manifestation. Astrology is the study of the interaction of these cycles
of conscious resonance.
The Archetypes of
Rajas and Tamas... Yang and Yin... Inhalation and Exhalation
Fire: Rajas/Yang/Sun
Water: Tamas/Yin/Moon
Self-knowledge through the world’s reflection
Medium for essence
To project into manifestation
Longing for union
Expanding
Containing
Push
Pull
Fullness
Emptiness
Strength
Endurance
Physical
Emotional
Passion
Romance
Physical Intimacy
Emotional Intimacy
Action
Communication
Logic
Feelings
Intellect/Left Brain
Intuition/Right Brain
Steady
Cyclic
Red
Blue
Fiery
Watery
Revealed
Hidden
Satiety
Yearning
Fear of criticism and limits
Fear of loneliness
In our model all energy is understood as sacred sound vibration, the
omnipresent holomovement of sacred sound vibration. “Aum” emanates
a spherical pattern of resonance from the bindu of the unified field.
The arc lengthens into the balance of centrifugal and centripetal
forces, into the ellipsis of the cosmic egg (Hiranyargabha), as the
emanation of the Air archetype. The Fire archetype—the crown of
Spirit—is a spiraling arc of radiance aligned with the centrifugal
resonance of the nucleus of the Sun. With Water we have a
downward-spiraling arc, which is resonating with the centripetal field
of force of the nucleus of the Earth. The Earth archetype is a
lengthening crystallization which resists attunement with the universal
spiral of the evolution of the One Life sustaining forms.
Very simply put, our holomovement moves through a cycle made up of these
four patterns of resonance, these archetypes. These are the innermost
essences of differentiation in vibration which manifest as the infinite
cycles of creative evolution. Every breath is a microcosm of the
holomovement of the universal breath: from an Ether-predominant
spherical stillpoint, through an Air-predominant lengthening ellipsis,
to the radiance of Fire, to the receptacle of Water, and to the
crystallization of Earth. All vibration waves through a sliding scale of
attunement with the cosmic (Aum/pranava). This is the
holomovement which breathes through every level of macrocosm and
microcosm, which pulsates through every beat of our heart, whose rhythm
oscillates as every atom of creation. These are the four phases of the
arc of spiriling vibration which waves through every field of vibration
emanating from the unified field of the One Life.
The Chakras as Centers of Consciousness in the Body
The elemental archetypes comprise a spectrum of consciousness. In the
involutionary cycle where one’s attention is directed downward and
outward into the world to identify with the ego, the five chakras
(Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth) are associated (respectively) with
the passions: pride, greed, anger, lust, and attachment. In the
evolutionary cycle back to the source, where the focus is directed
inward and upward, in gratitude acknowledging the Great Mystery of life
and action, the passions are transformed into the five virtues:
humility, contentment, forgiveness, continence, and detachment.13
The Evolution of
The Five Passions and Virtues
Involution
Evolution
Ether
Attachment
Detachment
Air
Lust
Continence
Fire
Anger
Forgiveness
Water Greed
Contentment
Earth
Pride
Humility
As we mature we have the potential to move from resonance with the
involutionary passions to attunement with the virtues of the
evolutionary phase.
Astrological Archetypes
Astrological archetypes manifest the infinite creative expression of the
Cosmic Person. The astrological archetypes are wellsprings of creative
consciousness. The illimitable creativity of the universal being is
differentiated by the astrological cycles. The astrological signature
defines the uniqueness of each manifestation within the infinite.
Everything in creation has an astrological signature and can be defined
by its relationship to totality. The astrological signature defines the
unique place of each manifestation within the infinite cycles of the
evolution of Creative Intelligence.
The twelve archetypes of the zodiac are the embodiment of the four
elemental harmonics—Air, Fire, Water, and Earth—resonating through the
three polarities of Cardinal (+), Fixed (-) and, Mutable (0). Air and
Fire are positive radiations of the involutionary cycle of
manifestation, and Water and Earth radiate with the negative
evolutionary return currents. The involutionary cycle describes
consciousness. in its childhood, expressed as the self-centeredness of
Aries, the possessiveness of Taurus, the superciliousness of Gemini, the
sensitivity of Cancer, and the pride of Leo. The archetypes which
resonate with the evolutionary return currents are characterized by more
maturity and wisdom. Thus, the archetype Virgo predominates in the
consciousness of discrimination, Libra manifests harmony, Scorpio
represents introspectiveness, Sagittarius predominates in sincerity,
Capricorn predominates in mastery of the material plane, Aquarius
focuses on universal ideals, and Pisces focuses on the mystery of unity
in diversity. The modes of consciousness manifested in the twelve
archetypes of the zodiac are defined in fundamental ways as the
consciousness of the involutionary and evolutionary stages of the
universal holomovement. The study of astrology allows us to begin to
fathom the consciousness of this holomovement as cycles of infinite
creative evolution.
The archetypal spectrum of creation manifest its essence on every plane
and kingdom of creation. We can witness this spectrum, beginning with an
understanding of the Sun as a fount of the consciousness and being of
the Light of Eternal Life. Mercury manifests discrimination; Venus
radiates love. The Earth resonates with strength, and the Moon
predominates in attachment; Mars manifests an essence of initiative;
Jupiter expresses expansiveness and faith; Saturn manifests limitation,
crystallization, and form. On Earth, our metals span the same spectrum:
gold resonates with the Sun, silver with the Moon, the mineral mercury
resonates with the planet Mercury, copper corresponds with Venus, iron
with Mars, brass with Jupiter, and lead with Saturn. In Culpepper’s
Complete Herbal, 20 a classic seventeenth-century herbal guide, you will
see each herb described by its signature—basil is Mars in Scorpio,
garden mint is an herb of Venus, mulberry is ruled by Mercury, etc. You
will find this same spectrum underlying every kingdom of creation. In
canines, felines, flowers, herbs, and jewels the archetypal signatures
underlie the spectrum of creation. Books of such correspondences are
available, which archetypally catalogue all the phenomena of creation.
Transhistorically and crossculturally, astrological signatures were the
lingua franca of the literati.
The Seven Rays
The seven days of the week are defined by this same harmony of
correspondences. The august and uplifting eternal quality of Sun-days;
the blue, watery, emotional, cleansing of Moon-days; and the brash,
fiery impulsiveness of Tuesdays, which is ruled by Mars. Wednesday,
ruled by Mercury, is an excellent day for agility and communication.
Thursday is Thor's day and is ruled by Jupiter, the great benefactor. It
is characterized by wisdom, expansiveness, and generosity. Friday,
ruled by Venus, is the day for lovers. (Remember the exquisite Venutian
quality of Friday afternoons.) Saturday, ruled by Saturn, is a day of
resistance, usually very down-to-earth and practical. Notice the
polarity of opposite qualities from ray to ray. The uplifting positive
solar ray of Sunday cycles to the negative cleansing watery lunar ray of
Moonday. Its opposite is the fiery martian Tuesday. The brash quality
of Tuesday is balanced by Wednesday’s Mercurial discrimination.
Thor’sday casts discrimination aside for an unbridled jupiterian
benevolence. Friday moves from Jupiter’s universal love to Venus’s
personal love. Saturn’s day is ruled by structure and limitations. Check
out your experience of the week; see if these signatures ring true in
your own experience.
The colors of the rainbow span the same quantum spectrum of the Law of
Seven, or the Cosmic Octave. Out of the white light of the Sun emanate
the uplifting violet, spacious blue, balancing green, illuminating
yellow, cleansing orange, and grounding earthy-re. Numerous books on the
psychology of colors describe these archetypal forces.21
Correspondences of Planets Colors Gems and Metalse 22
Sun Red Ruby, Garnet Gold
Moon White Pearl moonstone Cloudy Quartz Crystal Silver
Mars Dark red Red coral Iron
Mercury Green
Emerald, Peridot,
Jade Mercury
Jupiter Gold Yellow Sapphire Yellow Topaz or Citrine Brass
Venus Transparent, Variegated
Diamond, Clear Zircon, Clear Quartz Crystal Copper
Saturn Dark Blue, Black Blue Sapphire, Amethyst Lead
The Psychology of Elemental Archetypes
The archetypes Fire, Air, Water, and Earth define basic realms of being.
It can be quite revealing to analyze the elemental archetypes from the
point of view of the spectrum of consciousness. The essence of the
elemental archetypes is Creative Intelligence. Astrological patterns of
resonance are described as exalted when there is attunement and the more
sattvic qualities are able to manifest, or in detriment when the
archetype is in a more tamasic and resistant pattern of resonance in the
gestalt of the native’s astrological signature, so that the
characteristics manifested are less conscious. The Fire element as
consciousness is radiance in all its dimensions. Excitable,
enthusiastic, its light brings color and warmth to the world. Stephen
Arroyo, in Astrology, Psychology, and the Four Elements, writes:
This element has been correlated with the dynamic core of psychic energy
by C. G. Jung, that energy which flows spontaneously in an inspired,
self-motivated way . . . self-centered . . . The Fire signs exemplify
high spirits, great faith in themselves, enthusiasm, unending strength,
and a direct honesty . . . [and an] unrelenting insistence on their
point of view. Fire signs are able to direct their will power
consciously . . . Their will to be and to express themselves freely is
rather childlike in its simplicity. They may come across as rather
willful, even overpowering at times.23
For the Air signs, ideas are real. Arroyo explains:
The Air realm is the world of archetypal ideas behind the veil of the
physical world, the cosmic being actualized into specific patterns of
thought. . . The Air signs focus their energy on specific ideas . . . By
concentrating on these ideas (they) ensure that they will eventually
materialize . . . the Air signs deal with ‘experience in its concern
over theoretical relations.’ The emphasis on theory and on concepts in
the life of the Air sign people leads to their finding the most
compatible mode of expression in art, words and abstract thought.24
The Water signs are focused on feeling, Arroyo writes:
The Water signs are in touch with their feelings, and in tune with
nuances and subtleties that many others don’t even notice. The Water
element represents the realm of deep emotion and feeling responses,
ranging from compulsive passions to overwhelming fears to an
all-encompassing acceptance and love of creation. Since feelings by
their very nature are partly unconscious, the Water signs are
simultaneously aware of the power of the unconscious mind and are
themselves unconscious of what really motivates them. When they are in
tune with the deeper dimensions of life with full awareness, they are
the most intuitive, psychically sensitive sign . . . They are able
to help others by means of an empathetic responsiveness to the feelings
of their fellow beings. When, however, they are not fully aware of
their own feelings, they find themselves prompted by compulsive desires,
irrational fears, and great over-sensitivity to the slightest threat.25
The Earth signs are masters of the physical plane:
The Earth signs tend to rely more upon their senses and practical reason
than upon the inspirations, theoretical considerations or intuitions of
the other signs... Their innate understanding of how the material world
functions gives the Earth signs more patience and self-discipline than
other signs. This element ... has strength of endurance and persistence
that enable Earth signs to always look out for themselves. The Earth
element tends to be cautious, premeditative, rather conventional and
usually dependable.26
Living Archetypes
It is easy to hear the archetype that predominates in an individual's
character structure. You can usually hear these archetypal qualities in a
person’s voice. Mercurial Air-predominant individuals are centered in
their mind, and tend to talk rapidly (and some would say excessively).
Martian Fire-predominant personalities are very action-oriented, with
little patience for mere talk. Venusian Water-predominant individuals
are centered in their feelings and can tend to be whiny.
Earth-predominant individuals tend to be practical, slow moving and down
to earth.
Who’s Talking?
People reflect their underlying
predominant elemental/archetypal resonance.
Ether Spaced out, expanded, cosmic
Air Lives in Ideas, thoughts, talks fast
Fir Action Oriented. No patience for talk
Water Lives in Feelings
Earth Solid, practical, down to earth
In our model the cells of the body resonate with archetypal forces. The
astrological rising sign (The astrological archetype on the horizon at
the time of birth) has a marked influence on the face and body type as
does the ruling/predominant element/resonance in an astrological chart.
Air predominance is a lengthening of the cells of the body. A thin build
and a light wiry body are characteristic of the Air archetype of
resonance. A long narrow face and thin frame of the classic ectomorph is
Air-predominant. Fire is the archetype of radiance and directed force.
Fire predominance is characterized by good muscle tone and "stereotyped
beauty." The classic Mesomorph is Fire-predominant. Water predominance
is easily seen in the rounded moon face of Pisces, Scorpios, and
Cancers. A Water-predominant body resonates with an archetypal
attunement which is rounded and flowing. Water sustains a tendency to
padding and excess weight. Earth predominance sustains a square, solid,
stout, tree-trunk body with short wide neck, thick arms, and legs like
the classic football player. Water and Earth parallel the endomorph of
Sheldon's typology. While everyone is a blend of these archetypes, the
elemental predominance reveals a great deal about body type and
character.
Astrology is the study of archetypes, the relationship between the
immortal Being of the Cosmic Person and its manifestation in the mortal
cycles of time. The cycles are the central organizing principle and the
vehicle of differentiation of the creative potency of the One Life.
Everything is woven of a fabric of cycles. The spectrum of resonance in
the cycle of the holomovement is a spectrum of consciousness. Dr. Stone
writes: "Patterns are mind energy fields . . . Each type of energy has a
vibratory speed and wave length which determines its function and
affinity to other similar units of energy functioning in the body, or
outside in the cosmos." Astrology studies these patterns of resonance,
types of arcs, archetypes, in the immortal realms of the macrocosm and
in the mortal realms of the microcosm.
The universal holomovement is theomorphic, an expression of Ultimate
Intelligence, and embodies the process of consciousness in its
evolution. The body is theomorphic—the personification of the process of
creation. The body is woven of cycles which embody the spectrum of
consciousness from Spirit to matter. The fundamental patterns of
resonance within the body parallel the seven planes of consciousness
from Spirit to matter. The root organizing principles of the body relate
to these patterns of resonance within wholeness.
Structures and processes in the body are organized around theomorphic
patterns of resonance. The astrological glyphs point to archetypal
patterns of resonance that are the fundamental organizing principles of
the body and—as above, so below—the universe.
An Archetypal Perspective on the Body
“The infant has a complete zodiac in its own make-up, an exact duplicate
of the cosmos in which it lives...This is woven by the four pattern
threads of "the four rivers of life"...[which]...act in triple function-
[through polarity 0, +, -] in and through the body, they build it in a
process similar to four threads in three shuttles. Then the twelve
stations or centers are formed which constitute the individual zodiac of
each person. This, then, is the miniature zodiac or microcosm by which
man's finer forces are linked to the universe, and supply him with
energy to attract the more solid forms of substance needed for his body .
. . These facts form the real field of Psychosomatics . . This
principle in Nature and in man is the basis of all action as the finer
energy operating in man and by which he lives, breathes and functions . .
. Even as the tiny atom is a universe in itself, so is man.”27
Dr Stone, The Mysterious Sacrum
Archetypal Harmonic Integrity
Astrologically defined fields of resonance are a fundamental organizing
principle of the body. The most fundamental features of the gross
anatomy of the body offer a suggestive parallel to the astrological
glyphs. These glyphs point to the fundamental types of arcs/archetypes,
or harmonics of resonance, which manifest through the body.
The astrological “signs” can be better understood literally as
archetypal energy patterns rather than as symbols, arbitrary carriers of
meaning. We suggest that the twelve astrological glyphs actually depict
twelve archetypal energy patterns—twelve moments (types of arcs or
harmonic resonances), twelve processes in the creation cycle. Each of
the twelve patterns sustains a body part/energy field with a unique
predominant resonant frequency and archetypal/astrological attunement to
the universe. Differences in the physical qualities of the body are
reflections of the differences in the energy fields. In each of the
successive phases we picture energy moving downward and outward into
manifestation, becoming more and more physical in our bodies as
microcosms of the process of creation in which energy crystallizes from
Spirit into matter. Notice that each of the glyphs embodies a
duality—two arcs in a dynamic, bilateral yet stable phase relationship
of polarity. This points to the fundamental resonant organizing
processes of the universal holomovement of rajas and tamas. This gestalt
of wholeness of the astrological "glyphs" can be called the “archetypal
harmonic integrity” of the body.
Body cavities are thus identified as having unique predominant resonant
frequencies, each of them in tune with universal, archetypal forces. For
example there is a fundamental difference between the watery energy
field of Cancer ♋︎ the breast, and the Fiery energy field of
Leo♌︎, the solar plexus. Each is a unique resonant environment.
These
astrologically defined fields of resonance are a fundamental organizing
principle of the body. We now picture the twelve phases of "the four
rivers of life" in their three polarities of emanation that sustain
materialization.
The Astrological Glyphs
♈︎ The essence of Aries, the first phase of manifestation, is the quality
of existence. The glyph for Aries, the Fire-predominant, positive,
first sign of the cycle, embodies a pattern of energy radiating outward
into manifestation from a seed point, a bindu. The birth of every
process of manifestation is this type of arc, the Aries—resonant
frequency and pattern of energy emanating from a center.
The glyph for Aries points to the archetype (type-of-arc) in tune with
this harmonic of force throughout all creation. In the body this type of
arc radiates upward and outward from the third eye and sustains the
crown of the cranium as an energy field and as a body cavity resonating
predominately with this keynote.
The third eye resonates with the casual plane. The brain is the
personification of the process of the mental plane. The two lobes of the
brain emanating from the casual plane resonance of the third eye embody
this archetypal energy pattern and personify the processes of the
Mental plane in the body. In the fields of force emanating from the
third eye, the Aries archetype of resonance is embodied in the
underlying sonic organization of the energy fields of the brain. The
brain is a unique resonant field in the body.
♉︎
The Taurus type of arc is the keynote of the second stage in the
manifestation cycle. Taurus adds the property of spatiality to
existence and sustains the overall space for manifestation of the torso.
The Taurus resonance sustains the body cavity of the neck—a nexus, a
womb, where the mental plane images of Aries step down in vibration
through the etheric plane into the physical plane. The top part of the
glyph ♉︎ points to the receptive phase of the Tauran resonance, which
receives impulses from the brain, the personification of the Mental
plane, and then steps this energy down through Ether to physical
expression sustaining the etheric body of the “tauruso." The fields of
force sustained by the Tauran attunement, receive the energies of the
Aries archetype, concentrating and twisting them through the etheric
into the physical vibrations of the torso (“tauruso”). The
Ether-predominant neck and etheric body of the “tauruso” resonate with
this archetype.
The body cavity of the neck resonates with the harmonics of the
archetype Taurus in the macrocosm. The sympathetic vibration between
their energies is attuned to the same keynote, sustaining an isomorphism
of energy and consciousness—as above, so below—in the microcosm of the
individual.
The etheric body is the first physical field of resonance in the
step-down from the unified field of the casual plane, through the mental
plane. It is a field of resonance which is defined by the interaction
of the emanation of the unified field with the emanation of the Earth.
It sustains the pattern of resonance of an elliptical helix of the
interaction of Heaven and Earth. Thus, the Taurus—the twisting of the
interaction of the spirals of "above" and "below"—is the dinergy of the
centrifugal and centrifugal resonance of "the two hands of God."
♊︎ The resonance of Gemini, the third moment in the cycle,
predominates in the arms and spine. The spine is a unique resonant
environment as the nucleus of the subtle body. Gemini unites the core
and the periphery. The glyph for Gemini embodies the energy dynamic
between the arms reaching out to touch the world, and the spine as the
core of our energy. Here we see the depth of being experiencing the
world, and the knowledge of the world touching the center. It is an
archetypal energy field found in the core of every unit of wholeness as
Spirit animates nature. The radiation from the ultrasonic nucleus of the
spine fills the space of the body with the rhythms of universal law.
Its twin character is seen in the dynamic between the two phasing fields
of energy, expressed in the bilateral symmetry of the body, and in the
dynamic relationship between sacrum and cranium (the two horizontal
lines of the glyph), expressed through the primary respiratory
mechanism. In Gemini we have the lengthening of the energy field from
the Etheric radiating into the spiral helix of Fire and Water and the
“two hands of God” reaching out to play in the world.
Fire Element
Form is an expression of energy. The astrological glyphs define a
spectrum of resonance in the underlying sonic organization of the
body. The archetypes Aries, Taurus, etc, manifest fields of
resonance which are fundamental to structural and functional
differentiation in the body.
♋︎ The next phase in this cycle of manifestation is Cancer, which
rules the breast. The breasts are a unique energy field which resonates
with the potency of divine love. Here, again, is a unique structure in
the body, with a particular resonant frequency of vibration. It is the
home of the neutral pole of the Watery Cancerian force, and the glyph
represents the swirling spirals of energy emanating from the heart
chakra representing the zenith of the sensitive Water element out of
which flows the nurturing milk of divine love.
♌︎ So far we have archetypal energy patterns forming the head,
neck, torso, spine, and breast. In Leo, we add the liver and diaphragm,
stomach, pancreas and spleen, and the organs of the solar plexus, which
resonate with the powerful radiance of the solar archetype
(type-of-arc). The solar plexus is a unique field of resonance in the
body.
Air Element
♎︎ The kidneys are attuned to Libra and embody this archetype in
the correspondence of resonance that is personified in the body. Libra
ruled by the goddess Venus rules beauty and midwives the birth of the
wisdom cycle of the centripetal evolutionary force. In the cycles of the
year, Libra mediates between spring/summer and fall/winter, the
oscillation between centrifugal and centripetal predominance in the
hemispheres. Similarly, in the body Libra balances the forces of above
and below, the upper arc of rajasic radiance and the lower line of
tamasic crystallization. The Libra archetype mediates between love and
fear, Fire and Water, expansion and contraction.
♏︎ Scorpio is embodied in the generative organs. The glyph depicts
the hips, ovaries, and womb. Scorpio embodies the mystery of life
emerging from the depths.
♐︎ Sagittarius is embodied in the hara center and thighs, embodying
the resonant pattern of the radiance of Fire (creativity) burning
(manifesting) on the Earth (materiality).
Water Element
♑︎ The energy of Capricorn resonates with the knees and skeleton.
Here you see a polarity in the symmetry between the two octaves of Ether
and Earth, crystallized on the left of the glyph, and their phase
dynamic embodied in the circles above and below on the right, embodied
in the Ether-predominant inner marrow and Earth-predominant outer bone.
The V-shape of the glyph embodies gravity lines radiating from the
nucleus of the Earth, that predominate in the return currents which
support structure, for example, the skeleton. The knees predominate as
the home of this archetype in the orchestration of the implicit order
within the ultrasonic resonance of the body.
♒︎ Near the end of this cycle stands Aquarius, which rules the
ankles, a unique energy resonating in the body. The creature in the
zodiac that is most characteristic of the Aquarian essence and
epitomizes the end of the cycle of crystallization of Spirit into
matter, of Heaven embodying itself on Earth, is the human. The ankles
embody our fundamental standpoint in life, the values we pursue, and the
direction of our personal and collective evolution. Aquarius represents
the end point of evolution, theomorphic humanity, made in the image of
the creator.
♓︎ The feet resonate with the Piscean archetype, a Janus-faced
field of force flowing between Father Sky and Mother Earth. The vertical
curves represent rajas and tamas in their involutionary/evolutionary
journey from Heaven to Earth. The horizontal line embodies the paradox
of separateness within unity, the Janus face of being. The feet again
are a unique energy field with a unique pattern of resonance, the home
of a unique quality of consciousness in the body.
Earth Element
The twelve glyphs of the zodiac provide a suggestive paradigm in which
the astrological archetypal resonances appear to be the fundamental
organizing principles of the body, both as a body of consciousness and
as a field of resonance. Each of the archetypal resonances is a unique
resonant structure where a particular quality of consciousness
predominates. The twelve glyphs point to twelve unique resonant
processes that are sustained by the four material elements in their
interaction with the trigunas of neutral, positive, and negative
polarity. The body is a spectrum of living archetypes that connect the
immortal cosmic person with its mortal expression over time.
The twelve phases of the zodical cycles differentiate the reflection of
the spectrum of consciousness emanating from the nucleus of our solar
cycle. All energy fields in our solar system are a microcosm of the
solar cycle. The zodiac is the best tool for studying the archetypal
spectrum of consciousness.
The all-pervasive holographic potency of Ved unfolds its “Knowledge” as
the astrological archetypes that underlie the order of creation. As
above, so below . . the body personifies the ubiquitous holomovement of
the seed power of the Ved. Note that each archetype is essentially
"psychological" and the process is a play of consciousness.
* Esoteric Anatomy: The Body As Consciousness, by Bruce Burger, North Atlantic Books, Berkeley, 1998
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