Heddy M. Johannesen's Blog, page 2
October 7, 2019
How to Decorate for Samhain
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Merry meet all,
I am posting some suggestions on how to decorate for Samhain. For myself, it looks like Halloween in here all year. But I wanted to pass on some suggestions and add a sprinkle of how to defend yourself from unwanted spirit energies in your home.
I like the theme of black on white. If you look at some of the magazines about home décor, they are catching on to this idea with Halloween decorations. I think that the black on white decoration idea works if the white is clean, cold and yes, classic. It does not work so much with a warm white or beige. The idea here is neutrals. Try putting a sheer black spiderweb lace tablecloth on over a cool white tablecloth. Then add on black napkins, black cutlery, black plates and wine filled goblets. Everyone will be asking how you did it. Add some skulls in candleholders to show that finished touch. Perfectly spooky!
Now for more color and detail: Use the fake vampire fangs to hold your napkins. It will act as a napkin ring. String up a bat mobile-more on that in a moment, or a garland that spells out words like trick or treat or Halloween. Hang the garland up over a mantelpiece or a window. It will catch the eye. Hang a black wreath over a door. Tape some black bats to the front door to entice your guests to your soiree! You can paint or carve pumpkins any color you want. A black pumpkin positioned near the garland and bats would draw interest.
I have a black lace bat and spiderweb curtain that hangs at my bedroom door. I brush by it every time I pass through the doorway. It is really cool. Invite bats over to your cool pad. Bat stickers are available at your local dollar store. I will leave the stickers up all year. If you want to, that is up to you. I placed them near the ceiling. They look cool. I put the largest sticker in the center and arranged the rest of the bat stickers going from smallest to big.
I have a black lace spiderweb lace tablecloth on my table all year. I own a few of them, including a matching black spider web lace table runner, black spiderweb lace placemat and matching doilies. (But then I’m that weird person). I also bought big black spider stickers and they are climbing the walls to the ceiling near my altar. My walls are cold white and the spider stickers are black. See how it stands out? It catches the eye.
Orange Chinese lanterns and carved jack o lanterns add a fiery color to your palette. Gourds, apples, and bound cinnamon sticks are interesting too. Set a skull figurine to the center of the table. Arrange apples, mini skeletons, gourds, pumpkins and black lace or black moss and you have a centerpiece sure to spark a conversation among your guests.
The ideas are endless. The sky is the limit if you use your imagination. My neighbor was kind enough to drill a hole through nine hazelnuts and string them for me. I hung the hazelnut protection charm om the inside of my back door. I also hung up a clothes hanger bent into the shape of a ‘g’. I swear by it as a charm. It does work. After arranging and setting up all your spooky and beautiful decorations, spritz your home with an asperge of salt, cedar, sage or frankincense. That purifies and protects your home.
Black cat optional…
Blessings, Spiderwitch
October 6, 2019
My Favorite Color is October
Merry meet all,
I went shopping this weekend. I conjured cool Halloween items. The first on the list of cool Halloween items is a very large black (of course) rubber spider web doormat. I love the huge rubber rug. My cat likes it too. The next on the list is a set of 4 skull black and white dinner plates. The plates have a trim and a large skull in the center. I bought a cool black thing you rest your cooking utensil on. I bought some black and orange candles, an orange pillar candle that smells of lovely pumpkin spice, a black wand that makes mystical sounds, a beautiful black wire elven crown, fairy wings that I shall cover with black fabric later and lastly, a black spiderweb placemat and black spider web doilies.
Yes I am ready for Samhain. I am planning and preparing for a Samhain Séance party. I bought a large jug of cider for my legendary cider mix. I am offering pomegranate seeds, barmbrack bread and pumpkin bread, and of course roasted seeds. Carved pumpkins will glow eerily among the candles and incense shall fragrance the room. I hope it all bewitches my guests.
One note about the barmbrack bread: I may not leave the traditional items in the bread, to avoid anyone choking. I am trained in CPR but it would be nice to avoid disasters. I haven’t begun decorating yet. I will do that later.
I bought a cool Halloween magazine, which is packed with a million suggestions. I am inspired by the issue. Are you all excited about Samhain? I am. Well that’s obvious. The movie It is in theaters if you can’t get enough of the October spirit and horror movies. I may catch Maleficent next week. I enjoy watching Ghost Adventures too. I wonder if they have a special Halloween show.
My story is published in Paranormal Chronicles about how the Five Fishermen Restaurant came to be haunted! Be sure to read the issue! My other story is published in The Handbook for the Dead and released on Amazon! Add these to your reading list! I am excited about it and I hope you are too.
I can’t wait to sit and read the October newsletter from the Horror Writers Association! The issue is huge. It is not October without the Horror Writers Association.
I implore you to enjoy the month of October as much as you can. It’s only once a year but I live like it’s every day of my life. If you all saw the inside of my home, you’d agree. Watch horror movies, make your pet wear a crown, pile leaves and collapse on them, roast seeds, and hang ghosts from the ceiling. Let me know in the comments what you did to celebrate the most magical of months.
Blessings, Spiderwitch
October 1, 2019
The Season of the Witch
Merry meet all,
October has arrived!! I am so excited and I feel fall in the air! I already pureed a pumpkin, roasted the seeds and brought in all my plants for the cold winter ahead. I live for October. I am not the only one.
The veil begins to recede in October. Suddenly the whole world around you changes and you feel it in your oxygen, in your blood and in your bones. I do. I am attending the local annual Samhain Public Ritual on the Commons on November 1st. I am hosting my Samhain Séance Party on October 19th. I shall be busy for my party what with decorations, cleaning and preparing food and my legendary cider! I shall also hold my own personal dumb or ancestral supper. I bought a book at Chapters titled The Sacred Herbs of Samhain. I just know I will enjoy reading this book in time for Samhain.
I already have a costume selected for Samhain! I want to be a dark faerie this year. I bought a wand that makes mystical noises and glows, a dark elven crown, wings and tights. I have decorated my wall near the ceiling in my bedroom with black bat stickers. I bought yet another black lace spiderweb tablecloth because you know, I really need one. I bought small black bat stickers for my BOS. I harvested my Chinese lanterns which reminds me I have to bring one more in from my garden. The frost is here. I sewed a brown fairy skirt. It is a short skirt. The upper peplum skirt is thick dark brown lace. The lower peplum skirt is sheer brown organdy fabric. The waist of the small skirt is elastic. It looks beautiful. Here is a photo of the skirt:
I seem to be prepared for Samhain! Almost aside from seriously scouring my home to be clean enough for the party and baking. I brought in and repotted the ginger, geranium, parsleys, 2 pepper plants, the catnip plant and the lemongrass. They will bloom or go dormant all winter until the spring of rebirth. Penny loves to eat the catnip-and then nip me!
The theme of the Samhain Party this year will be a séance. I hope people arrive all ready for a séance. I cannot wait. I can’t wait to try it but I didn’t want to try alone. So harvest your garden goodies, roast some parsnip, potato and carrots and put on a pot of herbal tea! Light some incense and reflect in your journal or BOS how you would enjoy celebrating Samhain! Let me know what you come up with.
Blessings Spiderwitch
September 25, 2019
Fall in the Air
Merry meet all,
Tonight I made applesauce. I wish I added a tad more sweetener. The applesauce tasted tart and could have used a smidgen more sugar. That is how I learn. It is beginning to look and feel like fall.
My garden is dying down. John Barleycorn has died. The metaphorical and literal scythe has fallen. My plants once verdant and green now wither and yellow. It breaks my heart and relieves me at the same time. I know my garden worked hard all summer. My garden has earned its rest over the cold season till spring’s return.
Pumpkins adorn front porches. The thrift and craft stores are now all well stocked with Halloween products. I went to Value Village last night. I tried on a couple costumes- one of a raven dress and the other was a Witch dress. Neither held my interest. But what did catch my attention were the wings, striped socks- and buckled shoes?, lacy gloves, wands and tutu tulle skirts. I have a costume. This year I want to be a dark faerie instead of the usual Witch. Well one year I was an undead bride. I usually go as myself and this year I want to be different when I attend the annual Samhain Ritual. I happily lost track of time as I explored all the Halloween products. I mean each and every costume, boots, socks, skirts and cloaks. I checked it all out- then went home and enjoyed a hot meal. Yup it was fun. I wished I had some money but that is coming soon.
This morning, I brought my lemongrass and ginger indoors. Lemongrass won’t survive a winter here in Atlantic Canada. I love the lemony aroma anyway. The ginger had some sprouts so I hope that grows well indoors. I plan to bring in more plants once I obtain terracotta plants. They are better than plastic. I hope the two dill seedlings I brought in fare well too. Time will tell.
I want to save seeds from my garden too. My tomato plants are ripening on a windowsill. I saved some pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin I pureed and the seeds I roasted!! They are for next year.
Once New moon arrives, I want to finish my Fire Cider project. The New moon begins in 3 more days. I made Fire Cider, put it all in a jar, and have stored in the fridge. I shook the bottle daily for a complete month almost. I kept an eye on it. I hope the ingredients have blended well. Now I shall strain the mixture and decant the cider into a new clean sterile jar. I will test it and then add sweetener. I plan to have Fire Cider around to combat colds and flu.
Have any of you begun any fall projects? I would love to learn more. Please comment below. Enjoy Mabon!!
Blessings, Spiderwitch
September 23, 2019
Mabon Correspondences
Merry meet all,
We are now in Mabon. I attended a public Mabon Ritual this weekend. I really enjoyed it.
Mabon is about balance and the autumnal equinox. The symbols of Mabon are: corn, autumn flowers, red poppies, nuts, grains, leaves, acorns, pine and cypress cones, oak sprigs, wreaths, vine, grapes, cornucopia, horns of plenty, burial cairns, apples, marigolds, harvested crops. wine, gourds
The colors of Mabon are: orange, Dark Red, Yellow, Indigo, Maroon and Brown
The Deities of Mabon
Goddesses: Modron(Welsh), Bona Dea, Harvest Dieties, Persephone, Demeter/Ceres, Morgan(Welsh- Cornish), Snake Woman(Aboriginal), Epona (Celtic-Gaulish), Pamona(Roman), the Muses(Greek)
Gods: Mabon, Modron(Welsh), Sky Father, John Barleycorn , the Wicker-Man, the Corn Man, Thoth(Egyptian), Hermes, Hotei(Japanese), Thor, Dionysus(Roman), Bacchus(Greek) and all wine Deities
Altar Decorations: acorns, pinecones, autumn leaves, pomegranate, statue of the Triple Goddess in her Mother phase.
Mabon Herbs: Rue, yarrow, rosemary, marigold, sage, walnut leaves and husks, mistletoe, saffron, chamomile, almond leaves, passionflower, frankincense, rose hips, bittersweet, sunflower, wheat, oak leaves, dried apple or apple seeds.
Foods of Mabon: cornbread, wheat products, bread, grains, berries, nuts, grapes, acorns, seeds, dried fruits, corn, beans, squash, roots (ie onions, carrots, potatoes, etc), hops, apples, pomegranates, carrots, onions, potatoes, roast goose or mutton, wine, ale and ciders, breads, apples, pomegranates
Animals: dogs, wolves, stag, blackbird, owl, eagle, birds of prey, salmon & goat, Gnomes, Sphinx, Minotaur, Cyclops, Andamans and Gulons.
Element: water.
Incense : pine, sweetgrass, apple blossom, benzoin, myrrh, frankincense, jasmine, sage wood aloes, black pepper, patchouly, cinnamon, clove, oak moss
Mabon Stones : During Mabon, stones ruled by the Sun will help bring the Sun’s energy to you.clear quartz, amber, peridot, diamond, gold, citrine, yellow topaz, cat’s-eye, adventurine.
Customs: offerings to land, preparing for cold weather by bringing in harvest, cutting willow wands( Druidic), leaving apples upon burial cairns & graves as a token of honor, walks in forests, gather seed pods & dried plants, fermenting grapes to make wine, picking ripe produce, stalk bundling
Spellworkings of Mabon: Protection, prosperity, security, and self- confidence. Also those of harmony and balance. Taboos:It was considered unlucky to cut down the very last of the Harvest, and so was also left to stand in the field by some traditions.
Activities of Mabon: Select the best of each vegetable, herb, fruit, nut, and other food you have harvested or purchased and give it back to Mother Earth with prayers of thanksgiving. Hang dried ears of corn around your home in appreciation of the harvest season. Do meditations and chanting as you store away food for the Winter. Do a thanksgiving circle, offering thanks as you face each direction – – for home, finances, and physical health (North); for gifts of knowledge (East); for accomplishments in career and hobbies (South); for relationships (West); and for spiritual insights and messages (Center). Decorate the table with colorful autumn leaves in a basket. Display the fruits of the harvest – corn, gourds, nuts, grapes, apples – preferably in a cornucopia. Or decorate with wildflowers, acorns, nuts, berries, cocoons, anything that represents the harvest to you. Like its sister equinox, halfway across the Wheel of the Year, the Autumn Equinox is a good occasion for a ritual feast. Plan a meal that uses seasonal and symbolic fruits and vegetables. You can serve bread, squash, corn, apples, cider and wine. Make some homemade wine or cordial gather and dry herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods. Make grapevine wreaths using dried bitter-sweet herb for protection. Use ribbons of gold and yellow to bring in the energy of the Sun, and decorate with sprigs of dried yarrowor cinnamon sticks. Make a protection charm of hazelnuts (filberts) strung on red thread. Make a witch’s broom. Tie dried corn husks or herbs (broom, cedar, fennel, lavender, peppermint, rosemary) around a strong, relatively straight branch of your choice. Make magic Apple Dolls Gifts of the Harvest can be used to make tools and emblems that will remind us of their bounty all year round. Look for colored leaves. Collect fallen leaves and make a centerpiece or bouquet for your home. Save the leaves to burn in your Yule fire. Vist an apple orchard and, if possible, pick your own apples. Hang apples on a tree near your home. Watch the birds and other small animals who will enjoy your gift. This is also the time for replacing your old broom with a new one. As the broom corn is ripe now, besom making is traditional and magickal this time of year. Begin the festival with a vineyard or orchard harvest. You might check the farm lands in your area to see if there’s an orchard or pumpkin patch that allows customers to harvest produce for themselves. Traditionally Sabbat festivals begin at sun set on the eve of the Holiday. You can use the daytime hours of this holiday eve to prepare baskets for harvesting the next day. Baking a pumpkin pie (from scratch if possible) is a wonderful way to bring in the fragrance of the holiday season
Credit to: https://witchesofthecraft.com/2012/09/06/mabon-activities-and-correspondences/ for article info.
Blessings, Spiderwitch
September 18, 2019
Harvest Plant Protection
Merry meet all,
The full moon passed recently. The moon was beautiful! The frost has come this week-it’s early! I have to cover my plants tonight. The tender plants need to be protected.
Mabon is almost here! I can sure feel autumn in the air. It’s that time of year again. I harvested a good sized green tomato and a tiny cucumber today. The tomato refused to ripen on the vine. It took its own sweet time. So since there was a frost and I was so impatient, in they came. See photo below.
To protect your plants from the frost, you can use glass cloches, buckets or old sheets. You may still have some tender annuals that are producing veggies such as tomatoes. See the cucumber in the image above? Btw, garden grown veggies are tastier than the ones you buy in the store. Don’t believe me. Grow your own then comment below. Remove the coverings in the morning. The plants need to breathe but be covered at night. Watering the garden during the late afternoon is a good idea. I just stepped out to protect my plants and it was so cold out! Wow. Good thing for tea.
Hardy plants will be fine. The temperatures warm up during the day time. Don’t smother the plants! Keep an eye on the temperatures on the websites. Trust your instincts. Stock up on soil and pots if you want to bring plants in for the winter. I plan to bring in the catnip for Penny, the lemon grass, the ginger, the geranium and my herbs such as basil, parsley and maybe a few other ones. I do plan to plant garlic this fall but in a different spot than before for bigger garlic heads.
I hope this all helps you eager gardeners to protect your plants from the frost. I am sad because I want to help my plants grow as wonderfully as they can. At the same time, I know that time of year is here! But I will keep draping old sheets over my garden at night and letting them get sun all day. If you do the same for yours, you can still have a good harvest! Your plants worked hard for you. They deserve care too.
BB Spiderwitch
September 9, 2019
Autumn Harvest Time
Merry meet all,
Mabon is almost here! I survived the hurricane Dorian. It was super crazy here. My garden survived the hurricane. I harvested the shallots, a cucumber, a tiny cherry tomato and several purple beans. I froze the beans, am drying the shallots and stored the cucumber in the fridge. Last night when I had power back in my apartment, I conjured a pot of health boosting vegetable soup.
When I had power in my apartment again, I made a pot of coffee and pancakes fast. It is amazing how weird everything is when there is no electricity. Nearly 500,000 people were without power. Now that the storm has passed, it is time for recovery.
The stores are carrying Halloween stuff now. It is the most magical time of year. I love Mabon. I personally like to think of the whole month of September as being October 30th leading to October 31st. Now is the time to think about the harvest- metaphorically and literally. I have harvested herbs, veggies and flowers from my garden. I shall also reflect on what I am harvesting over the year since the last Samhain.
Soon the stores will be carrying pumpkins! The Full Moon this weekend is also a Harvest Moon! That is a good time also to reflect on what you achieved or gained over the year. I plan to do a full moon esbat. I usually perform them solitary but I am not really alone. Spirit is with me. So take the time to reflect on your year.
On to a new topic:
I have a friend who truly is being harassed by a nasty spirit, or what some may call a demon. I believe him and I always know when a story or cry for help is genuine. A good sign is that the one who is being haunted if he/ she is fake, then they are boasting. He is not boasting, he is suffering. That is a huge difference. I am able to actually see spirits so I may have a different perspective here. I wish I could help him in person but he lives far away from me. I could really help him if I lived where he lives. I am sure I could and I wouldn’t be as affected by the demon because I know how to shield and deflect such bad energy. He wants to attempt an exorcism. I wish I could teach him how to shield himself. Once you cast off that bad energy, then you can’t be affected or overpowered again and the spirits hate that.
They want you to be weak. They want you to suffer. They feed off of that.
Yes I am a Ghost Adventures fan. I read Zac Bagans’ book, I am Haunted. In the book, he describes how he takes a long time to get rid of parasitic ghost pests. Sounds like he doesn’t know how to shield himself either. I feel now like I am privy to elite secret information, knowing how to shield myself. Maybe this will show you all just how important it is.
Samhain is not far off. Not only is this a good time to harvest what we reaped, but also a good time to prepare ourselves for a spooky season. !!
Blessings, Spiderwitch
August 26, 2019
Cemetery sentiments
Merry meet all,
Recently I visited an arts store because they carried Halloween stuff. I strolled through the aisles, and made mental notes on what to buy once I finally had some money. Seeing the Halloween stuff ( statues, skeletal arms, witch dolls, upside down bats, brooms) cheered me a little. Samhain is my favorite time of year.
The air is cooler today. It is still August but the leaves were falling already in the cemetery. I was also recently in a cemetery trying to write poetry. I did get one poem done though it is far from word perfect. I like the cemetery I visited. I saw a moth flitting over the ground, birds pecking for seeds, crows screeching from the treetops.
The engravings on the tombstones were too faint to read. I sat on the stone step, my notebook and a pen in hand, and just sat for a while soaking in the atmosphere. Inspiration seized me. I now want to write a small chapbook of poetry. It will be effort but everything is effort. There were tombstones of varying sizes and shapes. Everyone probably considered me weird seated and doing what I was doing, but I don’t care.
There is no safer place to be. The quiet of a cemetery lets me think. They are not such dangerous places but people should still use common sense. I just like dark verse.
One problem or side effect of being clairsentient and writing poetry in cemeteries is taking spirits home with you. Parasitic astral larvae live in cemeteries and often want to come home with me. While they get my empathy, I am just not sure I want to suddenly see dishes fly off shelves or my bed rattle late at night. I leave the energies there when I exit a cemetery. I do feel for them- I am sure being dead is no fun, but I have to establish and maintain boundaries.
Ah fall.. time for cardigans, cider, root vegetable meals, and pumpkins. Onions, parsnips, turnips, potatoes are all excellent healthy veggies. The skins are often the most nutrient rich part of the root vegetable. So go ahead, as you peruse some dark gothic poetry, enjoy soups and stews. If you grew the veggies yourself and cook them yourself, you enjoy twice the amount of nutrients because you know where they came from. I advocate for organic food. I know I will be. I grew my own garlic, dill, basil, mint, lavender, chives, and even shallots this year. I can’t wait to harvest more. I did harvest my garlic and dill and froze the dill, The garlic is braided and hanging up in my kitchen. I am waiting till the perfect harvest time to gather in the rest. The health and quality of growing your own veggies and herbs is unsurpassed- and not tainted by those horrid chemicals from the supermarket.
Enjoy fall!
Blessings Spiderwitch
August 19, 2019
The Natural Psychic by Ellen Dugan
Merry meet all,
Mabon is almost here! It feels like fall already. My fave time of year is almost here! My garden is so beautiful even in the rain. Samhain follows after Mabon. Soon pumpkins will decorate everyone’s porches.
I want to recommend a few good books about psychic development that I enjoy. The first one, The Natural Psychic, by Ellen Dugan, is a great book. She does away with the usual morbid or tell you how to do this or that. Instead, she fills the book up with a down to earth tone and is such an engaging writer. You feel like you are seated across from her at a noisy café. I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. The front cover shows flowers and a bright yellow cover.
The Natural Psychic is a great introduction book about psychic development. I highly recommend it to anyone just starting out. She includes diagrams, quotations and goes in depth on a lot of material. She covers what psychic ability is, the different types of psychic ability from clairaudience to clairvoyance. She follows that with a section on mediumship, then tarot cards- the tools of the psychic’s trade, to psychic phenomena to psychic defence and what do after you have all that training and knowledge, which most books never include. This book is invaluable. It covers everything you would need to know about being psychic and best of all, proves being psychic is not crazy but totally natural.
The other books I encourage everyone to read are The Complete Guide to Psychic Development by Cassandra Eason and Raymond Buckland’s books about witchcraft and spirit communication. But I do just love Dugan’s book. Her style and tone are refreshingly different and is so positive.
I plan to reread Dugan’s books and the other books I mentioned. I hope this encourages you all to try the books and the exercises included within them.
Enjoy the last of summer!
Blessings Spiderwitch
August 12, 2019
Autumn Tides
Merry meet all,
I just read the entire August issue of the Horror Writers Association newsletter. Wow it was a great read. I can’t wait to read some of the novels mentioned in the newsletter. Paranormal Chronicles is launching its fall issue in September- in time for Halloween!! My article about the history of the Five Fishermen restaurant will be included in the next issue! More to look forward to. That and the Halloween stuff will soon be in stores. That makes me get out of bed!!! I will be back when I am broke.
I submitted an article to Paranormal Globe about my scary sleep paralysis experience. I hope they like the article and post it on their site. I am waiting to hear back from them. I haven’t had many supernatural experiences lately. That may change once October rolls around. I do plan to host a Samhain party and the theme this year is a séance. I hope that goes well. It is still August but I hate leaving planning to the last minute. I also have the latest Witches and Pagans magazine to read and drool over every single printed word. I am sure it will be a great read, it always is.
I just harvested rhubarb. I will prepare it later and store it in the freezer. I chop the rhubarb in bits on a cookie sheet with no rhubarb piece touching the other. Then I freeze it on the cookie sheet for one hour and then I store it in a plastic Ziploc bag in the freezer. The rhubarb chunks never stick together that way.
Most of you are harvesting your goodies from the garden. Or, if you’re like me, you are anxiously waiting for your veggies and fruits to grow. I still sprinkle diatomaceous earth on the soil around my plants and I still fertilize my veggie plants too. I do that every second week or more if need be. Fertilizer gives plants a boost to grow better and be more productive.
For all you horror movie aficionados, there is a hot lineup of movies sure to have you sleeping with the lights on!! First off is Scary Stories to tell in the Dar. The trailer freaks me out and I haven’t seen the rest of the movie yet. Whew. The next horror movie is Ready or not, and the bride must survive a harrowing night of a hazing ritual from her crazed husband’s family. Hold onto your crossbows! Next is Jacob’s ladder. I saw the trailer and put this one high on my must-see list. Oh yeah for sure. I have to see it. And I know you all are greatly anticipating the sequel to It: Chapter 2. We can’t leave Doctor Sleep, the awesome sequel to The Shining. I have read the novel twice and seen the movie. I can already taste the popcorn. I bet you all can too. Yup I am lining up to see that one too. That is the most anticipated horror movie fall lineup of 2019. I hope you all get a chance to enjoy the flicks.
Blessings Spiderwitch
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