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 By Devaa Haley Mitchell, co-founder of The Shift Network
A new wave of feminine healing and transformation is sweeping across our planet, lifting up women of every age, color, and belief system.
While this cultural shift in consciousness continues to gain traction, there are sure to be obstacles on the way to lasting cultural change.
We need strong and open-hearted leaders... women who are living examples of the power, compassion, and courage we were each made to embody. And we need to step into our own full Self to model this for other women who will be strengthened by it.
During our FREE online Inspiring Women with Soul summit from March 1–8, you’ll discover amazing women leaders who are on fire with possibility and purpose. Women who’ll tell you the truth and help you navigate the journey of transformation as you travel it in your daily life.
I have carefully selected an incredible lineup of more than two dozen extraordinary women speakers to educate, surprise, and inspire you with profound insights for taking full advantage of this unique moment in history!
If you’re a woman committed to “being the change,” you’ll love these mentorship sessions with awe-inspiring women who understand the essential keys for living a bold and beautiful soul-powered life.
Speakers include Marianne Williamson, Lisa Nichols, Sandra Ingerman, Anita Moorjani, Sister Jenna, and many more. To register for free — and get a sneak peek at some of the topics that will be covered — click here.
Speaking of inspiring women and summits, this edition of Catalyst features an exclusive video interview with Lori Schneider, who shares how empowering it was to become the first woman to summit each continent’s tallest mountain, including Everest. You’ll also find an article by Jennifer Giordano, who found purpose in the most painful experience of her life.
And in recognition of African American History Month, you’ll find two videos from our Vision 2020 Summit: a soul-stirring talk by social justice leader and political activist Aimee Allison, and a Racial Justice and Healing Panel Discussion — and a TED Talk by change agent Amikaeyla Gaston, who survived a brutal racially motivated attack that nearly claimed her life. Amikaeyla is also our Featured Artist.
Member Profiles include an encore of Philip Hellmich’s tribute to his mother’s legacy of love, and Lisa Kruss’ inspiring and globe-spanning journey of reinvention and transformation.
Finally, we’d love to hear your answer to the question, What sacred gifts are YOU here to share? To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.
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Inspiring Women with Soul video
 The world can feel like a chaotic and crazy place right now, with so much polarization and strife. And yet, beneath it all, there is still a sacred pulse that's alive and moving through each one of us. It's calling us to truly remember why we are here at this time. Click here to watch this 2-minute video.
We hope this video will nourish your heart and soul... And if you want MORE soul-nourishing content, please check out our Inspiring Women with Soul summit, which runs from March 1–8 and features more than 25 inspiring speakers.
Lori Schneider: Empowerment Through Adventure
Video interview with Phil Bolsta
 | In this exclusive 33-minute video interview for Catalyst, Lori Schneider talks about the unforgettable day that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Terrified, she quit her job and ended her marriage, expecting to end up in a wheelchair. Yet one year later, she was standing on top of the highest peak in South America. |
An excerpt:
It was a real defining moment in my life. I was getting ready to get up in the morning, get out of bed, and get on a treadmill to start my exercising, because secretly I was training to climb another mountain… and swung my legs out of bed and I was numb on one entire side of my body, as if someone had drawn a line. One side was numb and the other wasn't. I called the doctor and I explained what happened and they said, "Well, if it's still like that tomorrow, come into the emergency room and we'll check you out.
So I tried not to worry. Next morning, the whole day and following morning I was still numb. And my vision was really blurry. I was having trouble with motor activities. I just felt out of sorts. I went in and eventually they told me that I had multiple sclerosis. And when they told me that, fear set in terribly, and I ran away from my whole life. I had been a teacher for 20 years, I'd been married for 22 years... I sold my house, I left everything behind in fear that I wouldn't be able to walk soon.
To watch the video and read the text, click here.
The Imperative of Ending White Supremacy
Vision 2020 Summit 2017 Talk by Aimee Alison
 Aimee Allison, President of Democracy in Color, is a social justice leader and political activist with a strong and unapologetic message: "We must end White Supremacy." In this 15-minute talk, she shares insights into the current crisis of racism in our society, and the lack of cultural representation in our governing bodies. She calls us forward to look bravely at this issue and think differently about solutions that can heal the wounds of racial injustice in our country. If we are going to build a New America, ALL must be at the table.
Click here to watch and listen to this Vision 2020 Summit 2017 talk.
Vision 2020 Summit 2017: Racial Justice and Healing Panel Discussion
 This powerful discussion between African-American female thought leaders Anita Ross, Pastor Joy, Dr. Karen McCord, Sonia Lewis, and Aimee Allison, advances the conversation of racial healing, the progress we've made as a country, and the current issues that need our attention and energy. In order for us to shift into a society of racial equality, we need to join together to educate, inspire, and empower the healing of our nation’s racial wounds.
Click here to watch and listen to this Vision 2020 Summit 2017 talk.
Dare to be Dauntless!
TED Talk by Amikaeyla Gaston
 Surviving a hate crime and near-death experience, Amikaeyla discovered the power to overcome fear, become dauntless, and heal through music. Taking this gift to political refugees, war survivors, and at-risk people worldwide, she co-creates musical miracles. Amikaeyla ignites the belief in all who meet her that even the deepest wounds and the most devastating losses can be healed.
Click here to watch and listen to Amikaeyla’s powerful talk
 Global Shift Meditation —
Free Event on the First of Every Month
Join The Shift Network, The Gaiafield Project, and people around the world for Global Shift Meditations on the first of each month. On February 1, we featured author, storyteller, and world-renowned Priestess of Oshun, Yeye Teish, on “The Power and Promise of Ritual.” Click here to listen to the free recording and to register to receive future free recordings.
 Your Voice
We want to know: What sacred gifts are YOU here to share? To share your thoughts in our Facebook Page community, click here.
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Working with Ancestral Spirits with Hank Wesselman
 Are you intrigued by the idea of shamanic journeying through space and time? If you could actually communicate with the spirits of your ancestors, how would that shift your perspective on life and change the way you live?
And if you could pierce the barrier that blocks you from accessing your former lives — and travel backward in time to discover who you were, and when and where you lived — what kinds of lessons could you learn to help you in this life and beyond?
In the following audio clip, shamanic teacher and anthropologist Hank Wesselman explains why your oversoul, or higher self, is a portal not only to your familial ancestors and your personal spiritual ancestors, but also to all your former lives and all the life experiences and collective wisdom you acquired in those former lives.
To read more, click here.
Click here for more information about Hank’s new 7-month course, Navigators of Light: Advanced Shamanic Explorations Including Elemental Clans, Bardos & Spiritual Domains, which begins on Thursday, March 1. |
Discover How To Align With Your Soul Purpose Through Your Chakras with Rhys Thomas
 Do you feel like you’re not fully connected to, or living out your soul purpose?
Do you feel closest to your purpose during your spiritual practice, but have trouble staying connected once you're going about your day?
Clearing and balancing your chakras will bring you healing and increased energy flow, but to stay open, flowing, and supporting you in living a fully engaged life, you must be connected to your soul purpose.
In this 9-minute video, energy medicine expert Rhys Thomas, explains the intricate link between your 12 chakra gateways and your true soul purpose.
To read more and watch Rhys’ video interview, click here.
Click here for more information about Rhys’ brand new course, Unleashing Your Soul Purpose Through Your 12 Chakra Gateways, which began on February 21. It’s not too late to join! When you enroll, you’ll receive immediate access to the course, community page, and full audio and video recordings of Module One — and be all set to experience Module Two this Wednesday, February 28, at 5:00pm Pacific. |
Why Are American Prisons So Afraid of This Book?
By Jonah Engel Bromwich
Published in The New York Times
 In the eight years since its publication, The New Jim Crow, a book by Michelle Alexander that explores the phenomenon of mass incarceration, has sold well over a million copies, been compared to the work of W.E.B. Du Bois, been cited in the legal decisions to end stop-and-frisk and sentencing laws, and been quoted passionately on stage at the Academy Awards.
But for the more than 130,000 adults in prison in North Carolina and Florida, the book is strictly off-limits. And prisoners around the country often have trouble obtaining copies of the book, which points to the vast racial disparities in sentencing policy, and the way that mass incarceration has ravaged the African-American population.
Click here to read more. |  |
Finding the Purpose in Painful Experiences
By Jennifer Giordano (aka Ajeetdev Kaur)
 A mysterious bar in Hollywood in 2011 sets the scene of my spiritual awakening. Hipsters and party animals are swarming around a musician on a small stage. It’s dark, something haunting diffuses in the air, as a sultry man with a guitar starts to sing. Thoughts flow in my mind... How fortunate I am to be one of these elite beautiful people. My feminine self, attached to an ego identity of bisexual free-spirited seductress with “heathen” friends. I was Hollywood’s image of an independent, empowered woman. Like the famed Madonna, sexually liberated. Or was I enslaved in an illusion?
This was the setting of one of the most horrific nights of my adult life.
To read more, click here.
Choosing to Release All in the Name of Personal Freedom
By Jennye Zeugner Johnson
 Having experienced in the past three months the deaths of both my elderly parents I was inspired to take a three week adventure to Scotland. This journey turned out to be the greatest transformation of my life! It did include mystical and magical experiences, but even greater than those was the inner transmutation of people and ideas that I previously had hung onto tightly! I have come to believe that an annual thorough house cleaning of my inner being and those I allow to remain in my life is crucial for me to continue on my pathway to personal freedom.
To read more, click here.
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Connecting Through Curiosity
By Lisa Kruss
 So here I was, a woman who had been in nonstop “go mode” most of her life, now lying immobile. I realized then that my life of constant doing had depleted me emotionally, harmed me physically, and robbed me of precious limited energy. Though I was considered extremely successful by societal standards, it was clear that my health, wellbeing, and relationships were suffering.
I asked myself some important questions in that quiet post-surgery stillness. And in the absence of the usual barrage of external demands, distractions, and to-do lists, I listened for the answers. In my haste to achieve and accomplish, I’d completely neglected to nurture my physical and emotional sensitivity. If I was going to improve my life, my health, and my relationships, I’d need to start paying attention to what was happening inside my body and within my heart. As it turned out, being forced to take time off to heal my injury also provided a period of uninterrupted time for healing my soul.
I was ready to step away from a life of habitually doing — and instead create a life of intentionally being.
To read more, click here.
Inspiring Woman and Mother: Phyllis Mae Hellmich (Encore)
By Philip M. Hellmich, Director of Peace for The Shift Network
 When asked which woman has inspired me the most in my life, the answer came easily: my mother, Phyllis Mae Hellmich. The importance of my mother in shaping my life came home to me last week on April 22, 2016. I woke up to several text messages.
The first message was from my mother, who wrote, “I love you.” Several siblings in earlier times zones had responded, “I love you too.” The next message was from my brother Trevor, “Want to let everyone know Mom is at the Greensburg ER with chest pain.”
To read more of this encore presentation, click here.
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International Women’s Day — March 8
 For International Women’s Day 2018,
you can create a SisterCircle, join a Sister Circle, or stream the live global meditation broadcast on March 8.
While every day is our day, International Women’s Day is the “official” day to honor women. It’s our day to come together, share our truth, cultivate authentic relationships, and show the world that the feminine will continue to rise, and rise strong. Together, we are unstoppable!
We’ve worked hard to make it this far. Our pain is being recognised and our voices are being heard, finally. What we do next couldn’t be more important. Now is a time where we can step into our positions as leaders and help shape our world.
There is SO much power in a woman who feels truly seen, heard, and loved. When all of us feel that way, our world will be a better place. Click here for more information.
Women Illuminated Film Festival — March 12 in New York City
This is the inaugural event to champion women filmmakers and to add a voice to the topics that are important for social change and impact, including empowerment, sex-trafficking, early-child marriage, education, and social justice. This 12-hour festival is at the iconic Anthology Film Archives in the East Village of Manhattan. March 12 is the first day of the Commission on the Status of Women. Click here for more information.
A Quest for Meaning
Join A Quest for Meaning film stream — hosted by Films for the Planet, which specializes in transformational film programming for individuals and communities around the world.
 A Quest for Meaning recounts the life-changing journey undertaken by two childhood friends questioning the workings of the world, our relationship with nature, and the meaning of life. Their travels to meet the great thinkers of our time take them from India to Guatemala, through the United States and across Europe to discover the message of activists, biologists, philosophers, and guardians of ancestral traditions from across the world.
A Quest for Meaning is a film movement — self-produced and distributed with the help of thousands of citizens around the globe. It reflects a change in consciousness motivated by the desire to live in harmony with oneself and the world. Click here to watch the trailer.
Register here to receive free personal viewing details of A Quest for Meaning on the Films for the Planet website from February 24 through March 2. This offer is exclusive to Shift Network members.
The program will include pathways for involvement as well as an interview with film director Marc de La Ménardière and Satish Kumar — activist, writer, philosopher, editor of Resurgence & Ecologist magazine, and former director of the Schumacher College International Centre for Ecological Studies.
International Yoga Festival — Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh, India
 Join us for the world famous annual International Yoga Festival in 2018 — uniting yogis of every culture, color, and creed together in a one-world yogic family, expanding global consciousness and bringing healing to the planet, one person at a time!
In this 7-day immersion and celebration, you have the opportunity to embrace every major style of yoga and learn from enlightened Spiritual Leaders, Master Yoga Teachers, Evolutionary Thought Leaders, and Wellness Specialists from around the world.
Awaken to the best version of yourself and ignite your inner light through this not-to-be-missed event at Parmarth Niketan Ashram, the largest ashram in Rishikesh and one of the largest interfaith yoga institutions in India.
Click here to watch a 40-second video invitation. Click here to visit the International Yoga Festival website.
Your Holiness
By Debbie Ford
 On the fifth anniversary of her passing, and written during her long battle with cancer, Your Holiness is a raw and poignant exploration of the godliness that dwells in all of us. With Debbie’s trademark brutal honesty and keen insight, the book is a bold call to unearth our latent spirituality. Filled with deeply personal stories about her own struggles and spiritual journey and motivational prayers, Your Holiness is a profoundly accessible pathway to harnessing the spiritual essence (holiness) that we all have.
Engaging and accessible, clear and unwavering, Your Holiness is a gift to the soul—a rare book that both guides and nourishes. At a time when so much in our world feels uncertain and suffering is so widespread and persistent, Your Holiness grounds us in the here and now while delivering a timeless and empowering message of relentless love and strength. Click here to order your copy.
Diet for Divine Connection
By Margaret Paul
 This breakthrough book by popular Shift faculty Margaret Paul offers a clear pathway to reconnecting with yourself, others, and your Divine guidance.
Click here to read the Introduction to Margaret’s book.
In the Foreword, bestselling author Marci Shimoff writes:
If ever I start to feel disconnected from my own self-love, my divine connection, I turn to either Margaret's work or Margaret herself. She has proven herself to be a trusted guide over the decades. In this book, she will clearly show you how to use food to strengthen your own divine connection in a profound way. It is with great joy that I invite you to turn these pages and take in her wisdom and guidance for yourself.
And popular Shift faculty Sandra Ingerman offers this testimonial:
Diet for Divine Connection is truly remarkable, filled with so many resources. I will use this book as a guide to read again and again. This book is a true gift to anyone who reads it and speaks so well to how to navigate the times we are living in.
Click here to order your copy.
For several years, The Shift Network has hosted Indigenous leaders from around the world and invited them to share their sacred knowledge, rituals, and practices to guide us in a way of living that is sustainable, healthy, and just. We’re thus delighted that the Global Indigenous Wisdom Library makes this “virtual council” of leaders and their wisdom available for everyone, everywhere for free. The Global Indigenous Wisdom Library is a collection of audio and video interviews featuring Indigenous leaders from around the world sharing prayers, sacred songs, prophecies, spiritual teachings, and pathways to healing, as well as concrete examples for birthing a new era — one in which all members of the human family are treated with respect, understanding, compassion, and justice. This sacred wisdom is important medicine for us all.
The production of The Global Indigenous Wisdom Library is a gift from The Shift Network, designed to inspire, inform, and involve you by highlighting the voices and important messages of Indigenous leaders from around the world. We want to give a heartfelt thanks to Hereditary Chief Phil Lane Jr. (“Brother Phil”) for his partnership in helping create this Indigenous Wisdom collection. And we thank all the speakers who have contributed to this body of knowledge. To discover more, click here.
Book by Stephen Dinan: Sacred America, Sacred World. Infused with visionary power, Sacred America, Sacred World is a manifesto for our country’s evolution that is both political and deeply spiritual. It offers profound hope that America can grow beyond our current challenges and manifest our noblest destiny, which the book shows is rooted in sacred principles that transcend left or right political views. To order your copy, click here.
 Through God’s Eyes: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Troubled World by Phil Bolsta of The Shift Network. Through God’s Eyes is a road map for living a more peaceful, beautiful life. It’s the only book that shows you how dozens of spiritual principles interact, how to weave them together into a cohesive worldview, and how to practically apply this spiritual wisdom to bring joy and vitality to your daily life. One reviewer called it “the owner’s manual God should give you when you’re born.” To order your copy, click here. To request a sample chapter from the author, email Phil at GodsEyes@me.com.
If you would like to submit something to The Catalyst, please see the submission guidelines: click here.
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2018 Catalyst:
2017 Catalyst:
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Reach out to a woman who has inspired you — in person, by phone, or with a handwritten letter — and tell her why and how she has impacted your life.
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 Writing to Discover Your True Gifts: 3 Essential Questions to Uncover Your Unique Genius — A Free Virtual Event With Bestselling Author & Teacher Mark Matousek. Discover your unique genius and release limiting beliefs and narratives, using an exciting process of self-inquiry and targeted writing prompts. Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 5:30pm Pacific
 7 Keys to Awakening Your Kundalini: How to Safely Liberate the Blissful Divine Power Within — A Free Video Event With Filmmaker, Speaker, and Spiritual Teacher Raja Choudhury. Discover ancient, experiential practices for activating, expanding, and aligning the most powerful spiritual energy in your body in a gentle, grounded way. Saturday, March 3, 2018 at 10:00am Pacific
Finding Treasure in the Shadow: How to Unearth the Gifts in Your Unconscious — A Free Video Event With Global Change Agent Tim Kelley & Transformational Teacher Beth Scanzani. Discover three powerful methods for recognizing and integrating the gifts of your shadow and illuminate the unconscious patterns which drive your decisions — to make empowered choices that can enrich your life, work, and relationships. Saturday, March 10, 2018 at 10:00am Pacific
 Manifesting Through Your Chakras: 7 Steps to Create the Life, Relationships (and World!) You Desire — With the Bestselling Author & Expert on the Chakra System Anodea Judith. Discover a proven step-by-step approach to effectively realize your dreams and vision — by aligning with nature’s blueprint for creation. New 7-week Live Video Training Starts Tuesday, February 27, 2018
 Navigators of Light: Advanced Shamanic Explorations Including Elemental Clans, Bardos & Spiritual Domains — With Shamanic Teacher and Anthropologist Hank Wesselman, PhD. Discover ancient and traditional shamanic practices to journey to subtle dimensions of light, energy, spirit, and creative power. New 7-month Live Audio Training Starts Thursday, March 1, 2018
 The Herbal Healer: Deepen Your Approach to Creating Effective Remedies for Health & Healing — With Renowned Herbalist, Speaker & Author Holly Bellebuono. Discover a unique and holistic approach to supporting the different systems in your body — and healing a variety of symptoms, from colds to chronic conditions. New 7-week Live Audio Training Starts Tuesday, March 6, 2018
 Dancing with the Bear: Heal Your Body, Mind, and Spirit Through Active Dreaming, Imagination, and Play — With Dream Shaman and Bestselling Author Robert Moss. Reclaim your vitality, creativity, and joy as you dream with the Bear and connect to the healing animal spirits in your body and life. New 7-week Live Training Starts Wednesday, March 7, 2018
More Upcoming Events: (all subject to change)
February
• Rhys Thomas 7-week course
• Margaret Paul 14-week course
March
• Inspiring Women with Soul
• Mingtong Gu 7-week course
• Mark Matousek 7-week course
• Plant Medicine Summit
• Raja Choudhury 7-week course
• Jean Haner 7-week course
• Deb Soule 7-week course
• Tim Kelley & Beth Scanzani 5-month course
April
• Devaa Haley Mitchell 7-week course
• Grandmother Flordemayo 7-week course
• Jessica Dibb 11-week course
• Arjun Das 12-week course
• Energy Medicine Summit
• Steve Bhaerman 7-week course
• Deb Soule 7-week course
May
• Mirabai Starr 7-week course
• Donna Eden 12-week course
• Robert Thurman 7-week course
• Robert Moss 9-week course
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Inner Strength Foundation
Give the gift of inner stillness to teens
The Inner Strength Foundation was established in 2014 to foster inner strength for outer stability in today’s youth. The joy in our lives, the richness of our relationships, and the promise of our shared future rests on grounded, flexible, curious, and forward-thinking individuals. At the Inner Strength Foundation, our aim is to support the youth of today through mindfulness and the perspective of cultural development to be the great leaders of tomorrow.
Our Vision: A world in which all young people are supported to realize their higher potentials and create a world of beauty and benefit to all.
Our Mission: We cultivate the minds, hearts, and actions of youth through mindfulness and a developmental perspective on life.
Click here for more information. Click here to donate.
Project Drawdown
Project Drawdown is the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. Our organization did not make or devise the plan — we found the plan because it already exists. We gathered a qualified and diverse group of researchers from around the world to identify, research, and model the 100 most substantive, existing solutions to address climate change. What was uncovered is a path forward that can roll back global warming within 30 years. It shows that humanity has the means at hand. Nothing new needs to be invented. The solutions are in place and in action. Drawdown is that point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere begins to decline on a year-to-year basis. Our work is to accelerate the knowledge and growth of what is possible.
Click here for more information. Click here to donate. Click here to buy the book.
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Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI) is an Abolitionist organization co-founded by direct descendants of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. FDFI combines lessons from the legacies of Douglass and Washington. Our mission: To Advance Freedom through Knowledge and Strategic Action. FDFI has been a leader in implementing human trafficking prevention education curricula in classrooms nationally since 2007. Click here to visit the website. Click here to help fund the One Million Abolitionists Project.
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Amikaeyla Gaston
Proclaimed as one of the “purest contemporary voices” by NPR, powerhouse Amikaeyla Gaston embraces the best of many types of music. Her sultry sound is “like listening to velvet waterfalls” (MTV) and her soulful flavor captures the listener with dynamic passion and sincerity. Winner of eight Washington Area Music Association Awards for Best Jazz, World and Urban Contemporary Vocalist, Amikaeyla was named DC’s best female composer; won the DC Mayor’s Arts Award for Innovation in the Arts; and was recently honored with first prize for Best World Music Composition from the Maryland State Arts Council.
She has studied, recorded with, and shared the stage with many award-winning artists, including Sweet Honey In The Rock, Baba Olatunji, Mickey Hart, Gil Scott Heron, Wyclef, Pete Seeger, Shiela E, and Esperanza Spalding. Her strong academic interest in Sacred Ethnomusicology led her to study with many spiritual and musical masters from many different cultures, and she was invited to perform in India at the Inaugural Festival of Sacred Chanting and Singing for the commemoration of the Golden Buddha at the request and invitation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Click here to listen to Amikaeyla’s music. Click here to hear Amikaeyla and Company E perform, “Lovely Day.”
Click here to discover more about Amikaeyla Gaston and to watch a 3-minute video in which she talks about her work as a World Trust facilitator.
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