Paul Foster Case 32 Paths of Wisdom

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ApPrnIX , - I. . . . - . . - . .. A D i s s e r t a t i o n concerning the' . . Thirty-Two P a t h s of Wisdom. ... . . ~ e c e i v e di n 1919, by t h e two Brothers w h k k irst recovered t h e out l i n e of .,fie Book Of Tokens. , '

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n a t i o n s be Blessed.

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The p i t h s o f 'the Tree of L i f e i n d i c a t e tht o r d e r of m a n i f e s t a t i o n a f t e r t h e primary - e x p r e s s i o n of t h e powers of t h e t e n Sephir o t h , i n d i c a t e d by t h e Lightning -Flash. Nc u n t i l t h e p a t h s of sthe-:Letters are manifec ted,do t h e Sephiroth came ' i n t o f u l l expre. - s b n . P r i o r t o t h i s 'they are l i k e u n r e a l i zed ideas. -The p a t h s of t h e l e t t e r s make them a c t i v e . :i . , * . ) " . . ,.. Now c o n s i d e r t h e , o r d e r of t h e paths. The tK(ALEPH) b r i n g s WISDOM i n t o a c t i v i t y ; t h e I~~~(BET UNDERSTAND1NG;the H) 13th ( ~ i m e l BEAUTY, and t h u s BEAUTY begins t o be actiy b e f o r e MERCY and SEVERITY ,as i n c r e a t i o n t h e beauty of v i s i b l e n a t u r e was manifest becore c r e a t u r e s t o whom mercy o r severit! could be shown,were brought f o .r t .h . -

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BEAUTY be& e ~ t a b l i s h e d ~ t h1e4 t h p a t h . ( D a l e t h ) un tes WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING; and t h e c e n t r a l p o i n t of t h i s path,where , c r o s s e s t h e 13th i s DA'ATH (DOEX) i n Hebrc Knowledge,f o r a l l knowled e h a s its root t h e Divinecontemplation o t h e p e r f e c t primal BEAUTY. WISDOM. o r C'rlOKMAH , which i n c l u d e s t h e i d e a of s k i l l 'in c o n s t r u c t iol t h e n p r o j e c t s t h e p a t h of CONSTITUTING In. t e l l i g e n c e (15th p a t h ) ~ ~ ~ ; athrough nd thi pathBEAUTY ,which h i t h e r t o h a s r e c e i v e d on

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t h e i n f l u x of power from KETHER,the

CROWN of PRIMAL WILL,now r e c e i v e s t h influence of t h e ILLUMINATIiqG I N T E U

GENCE of t h e FATHEX CHOIGi9. The Constituting I n t e l l i g e n c e i s t h e l e t t e r HEH "with which c r e a t i o n took placew,hence t h e next path, t h a t of V gobs Wisdom t o Mercy,for when creat u r e s begin t o exist,Mercy becomes active.This i s the passa e of WISD0l.I (~hoktnah) i n t o t h e s e l f - mpartation t h e Divine S p i r i t , t h r o u g h t h e s e l f contemplation of H i s ( o r I t s ) limit1 p o s s i b i l i t i e s a s an e t e r n a l S p i r i t o Life.

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MERCY (CXESED) i s p r i o r t o SEVERITY (Geburah) f o r reasons t h a t w i l l appe short 1y , Do not con£use t h i s sequex t i a l manifestation of t h e Sephiroth with t h e instantaneous one indicated by t h e Liohtning-Flash,which brings them a l l R t o potentia1,but not actu expression simultaneously.

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The path of ZAIN,Disposing I n t e l l i g c suggests by i t s name t h e operation c

t h e Supernal UNDERSTAiiDING ( £ 3 1 ~ 1~ )

S EPARAT I N G TI-IE CREATURES PRODUCED 5k t 3 b Constituting I n t e l l i g e n c e , i n t o

species,classes e t c , The fundamental separation i s t h a t of sex,and hence t h i s path i s indicated by Z A I N t h e Sword, and by t h e LOYERS i n t h e Tarot

NoC unt il t h i s sep a r a t ing id luenc e pro jec t ed t h e power of UNDERSTAXDIN( i n t o BEAUTY,can t h e a c t i v i t of SZVl be manifest through t h e p a t of CHE? , which, s e t t i n g off d e f i n i t e f i e l d s of operation,and so i n a sense circums*

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c r i b i n g t h e expression of t h e Divine UNDERSTANDING, b r ings i n t o a c t u a l e f f e c t t h e Radical I n t e l l i g e n c e of GEBURAH. A t t h i s point t h e S p i r i t ' s f u l l r e a l i z a t i o n of Itfs power a s a l i m i t l e s s self-imparting Principle,manifested i n l i m i t e d forms of expression,unites the potencies of MERCY t o t h o s e of SZVEXITY,through t h e path of t h e letter TETH ,c a1led I n t e l l i g e n c e of a 11 S p i r i t u a l A c t i v i t i e s . This path i s a l s o c a l l e d I n t e l l i g e n c e of t h e Secret,. because t h e Great Arcanuxn i s based upon t h e f a c t t h a t L i m i t l e s s L i f e expresses It s e l f i n limited forms. Therein you may discover t h e g r e a t s e c r e t of a l l magical oparat ions, -----the Arcanum of t h e equilibrium between SEVERITY and MERCY.

Notice a l s o t h a t t h i s path c r o s s e s t h a t of GfMEL* The c e n t r a l point of t h e magical equilibrium i s t h e r e a l i z a t i o n t h a t t h e P R f i ? i WILLeternally p r o j e c t s I t s e l f i n BEAUTY; and t h i s path of GINEL being t h a t of t h e Unit ing I n t e l l i g e n c e , t h e implic a t ior. i s t h a t t h e t r u e equilibrium can only be a t t a i n e d by means of t h e conscious s 2 l f i d e n t i f i c a t i o n of t h e personal w i l l with the Universal S e l f - d i r e c t i o n toward t h e r e a l i z a t i o n of BEAUTY. Now comes t h e path of YOD,which c a r r i e s t h e influence of MERCY i n t o BEAUTY, concent r a t e d i n a complete r e a l i z a t i o n of t h e cosmic purpose, indicated by t h e name of the path, I n t e l l i g e n c e of W i l l . I n t h e Tarot, thc HERMIT,far from being a conventional type of Prudence, i l l u s t r a t e s t h e masculin express ion of ~ e n e icence f ,(CHESED) througl~ Y D t h e l e t t e r of t h e Father. This w i l l be c e ar upon examination of t h e 9 t h Key of t h e Tarot.

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The p a t h of t h e l e t t e r LAMED by c o n t r a s t , shows a f eaminine i n f h e n c e ( t h a t of t h e r u l e r of t h e s i g n L i b r a , t h e f emminine p l a n e t Venus) i n t h e a c t i v i t y of F a i t h f u l I n t e l l i g e n c e which p e r f e c t s o r completes t h e s t a t i c manifest a t ion of BEAUTY through e q u i l i b r a t e d Action o r Work (Karma). But t h i s s t a t i c m a n i f e s t a t i o n of BEAUTY i s not e f f e c t e d u n t i l a f t e r t h e p a t h of KAPH, o r Conc F l i a t i n g I n t e l l i g e n c e h a s brought NETZACH i n t o a c t i v i t y by t h e p r o j e c t i o n of t h e i n f l u e n c e of CHESED,because Karma does not begin t o operate u n t i l t h e t u r n i n g wheel of m a n i f e s t a t i o n h a s brou h t i n t o t h f i e l d of t h e unf o l d i n n univer saf s e l f consciousness a d e f i n x t e conception of t h e v i c t o r i o u s end towards which IT'S s e l f i m p a r t a t i o n i s d i r e c t e d . Karma cannot b e supposed t o work without an o b j e c t i v e , and t h e n a t u r e of S p i r i t a s s u r e s u s t h a t I t ' s o b j e c t i v e must be t h e s u c c e s s f u l ourcome of t h e c r e a t i v e process. Hence LAXED and t h 22nd path f o l l o w KAPH and the 21st.

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The s t a t i c expression of BEAUTY b e i n g realizedlized,SEVERITY p r o j e c t s SPLENDOR t o b a l a n c e VICTORY, (you w i l l observe t h a t Understanding,Severity, and Splendor a r e a s it were r e f l e x i o n s of Wisdom,Mercy and Victory r e s p e c t i v e l y ) . ) The p a t h connectin SEVERITY and SPLENDOR i s t h a t of t h e l e t t e MFii,called IqStable intelligence^^. The f h e unwavering s e l f -conternplat i o n proceeding p r i m a r i l y from t h e supernal UNDEXSTANDING i s a s s o c i a t e d with MEM because it i s t h e r e f l e c t i o n in t h e c r e a t u r e of t h e CWATORI self-understanding.This p a t h r e f e r s t o a c o n d i t ion of human consciousness

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I n t h e Tarot it i s t h e HANGED Mm, i.e. t h e "suspended mind!' , o r manas in t h e s t a t e

of freedom from a c t i v i t y which t h e Hindus compare t o a p e r f e c t l y calm body of water. when t h i s state of t h e u n i v e r s a l consciousn e s s f i n d s expression t h r o u h a personal form, complete r e a l i z a t i o n o t h e d i v i n e SPLENDOR i s made a c t u a l .

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The p a t h of NUN i s t h e f i r s t m a n i f e s t a t i o n 'of t h e dynamic o r p r o j e c t i v e as e c t of TIPHWTH ( a s c o n t r a s t e d with t e s t a t i c o r r e c e p t i v e a s p e c t ) . It i s ca1led"Irnaginative I n t e l l i g e n c etVbecause t h e primary a c t i v i t y of BEAUTY works throuoh h a g i n a t i o n in b r i n g i n g about new mo8es of expression. T h i s involves t h e passing awa of t h e forms whic a r e suplanted by t h o s e w z i c h imagination c a l l s i n t o existence.

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The passing away of supplanted f o m s i s i n d i c a t e d i n symbolism of t h e Tarot Key e n t i t l e d DEATii, and t h e f a c t t h a t t h e new f o m s a r e developments of t h e o l d i s suggest e d by t h e n a t u r e of t h e h a r v e s t gathered b: t h e Reaper in t h e p i c t u r e . The r e s u l t i s tht p e r f e c t i o n of NETZACH ,f o r through t h e t r a n s . formations wrought by t h e power of BEAUTY, t h e f i n a l VICTORY i s a t t a i n e d . The p a t h of t h e t t I n t e l l i g e n c e of Yrooatlon o r T r i a l n , a t t r i b u b e d t o t h e letter SAMEKH, follows t h e p a t h of 'Imaginative I n t e l l i g e n c t because it s i g n i f i e s t h e t e s t i n g of t h e ide'r and innovations suggested by t h e imaginatiol It j o i n s BEAUTY t o FOUNDATION,because only by e x p e r i m e n t s , t r i a l s and tests c a n t h e harmony of TI?HARETH become a c t u a l i z e d i n t h e e s t a b l i s h e d c e r t a i n t y implied by t h e t e r m FOUNDATION. ( ~ o t et h a t Foundation i s the propagative Sephirah,and you w i l l have a c l u e t o many problems. )

The p a t h of AYIN i s perhaps t h e most obsc u r e of a l l . The "Renewing I n t e l l i g e n c e t t

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completes t h e dynamic expression of BEAUTY by u n i t i n g it t o SPLENDOR,on t h e s i d e of t h e of Severity. The key t o t h e mystery of t h i s p a t h i s t h e word l i m i t a t i o n , a n d it is t h e Renewin I n t e l l i gence because it i s t h e source o human consciousness of l i m i t a t i o n , incompleteness, l a c k and bondage. Our sense of bondage, a f t e r a l l , i s t h e r e f e l c t i o n of o u r i n t u i t i v e knowledge of t h e freedom of THAT,which i s t h e e s s e n t i a l SELF of every man. When we c o n s i d e r t h e small e x t e n t of o u r persona achievements, t h e e s s e n t i a l z p e r f e c t i o n of 1 t h e ONE SELF seems t o b e an u n a t t a i n a b l e i d e a l . M i l l i o n s of people p e r s o n i f y t h i s i d e a l as an e x t e r n a l i z e d d e i t y . It' s oppos i t e , t o which they a t t r i b u t e l i m i t a t i o n of a l l k i n d s , they personify as a h o s t i l e and malignant agency,the d e v i l . The s e n s e of bondage however,is what d r i v e s man t o seek freedom,and t h u s it l e a d s a t l a s t t o t h e SPLSVDOR whic i s t h e consequence of t h e s t r i c t j u s t i c e of GEBURAH and t h e outcome of t h e dynamic impulse toward BEAUTY which pervades c r e a t i o n , w h i l e , a t t h e same time, t h i s SPLENDOR i s t h e r e f l e c t i o n of VICTORY.

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The pat11 of PEH which j o i n s VICTORY t o SPLENDOR,is analogous t o t h e p a t h s of DALETH and TETH. It i s the"Zxcit ing I n t e l ligence", and it follows t h e Renweing . I n t e l l i g e n c e because t h e sense of l i m i t a t i o n sooner o r l a t e r g i v e s way t o t h e conviction t h a t t h i s l i m i t a t i o n i s not pemanent.This c o n v i c t i o n i s man' s c h i e f i n c e n t i v e t o t h e k i n d s of a c t i o n which w i l l lead t o freedom. It o r i g i n a t e s i n an i n t u i t i v e p e r c e p t i o n t h a t t h e S p i r i t of man i s one with t h e Universal Spirit,which as w e have seen mus n e c e s s a r i l y succeed i n c a r r y i n g o u t t h e y e a t purpose f o r which it p r o j e c t s I t s e l f n a universe.

T h i s i n t u i t i v e percept i o n comes suddenly, l i k e a Lightning Flash,and u s u a l l y overthrows t h e whole conception of t h e meanin: of l i f e h e l d previously by him t o whom it comes. T h i s i s an experience not only of ; s i n g l e person but a l s o of whole r a c e s a t c e r t a i n s t a g e s of t h e i r development. It i: t h e g r e a t i n f l u e n c e which e f f e c t s sweepin: changes in t h e thought and wurk of t h e wor Id. T h i s sudden i n s p i r a t i o n i s followed by thc calmer i n f l u e n c e of t h e next p a t h , a t t r i b u t e d t o t h e letter TZADD1,and c a l l e d t h e "Natural I n t e l l i g e n c e n , This p a t h repres e n t s t h e gradual unfoldment of man's i n s t i c t i v e knowledge of t r u t h . T h i s knowl e d g e begins t o f i n d expression i n h i s thought as soon a s he comes t o know t h a t h e i s not t h e bondslave of e x t e r n a l condit i o n s . It i s t h e p r o j e c t i o n of VICTORY, which t h e Divine S p i r i t i n t h e h e a r t of man recognizes as i n e v i t a b l e , a n d t h i s i s t h e r o o t of a l l human hopes. The next p a t h i s t h a t of t h e l e t t e r QOPH, i n Hebrew t h e meaning of t h i s word QOPH i somewhat obscure. Usually it i s given a s Itthe back of t h e head",and t h e r e i s no doubt t h a t t h i s agrees with t h e o c c u l t t r a d i t i o n and a l s o with c e r t a i n f a c t s . Bul t h e word QOPH i s a l s o t r a n s l a t e d apeu an( i s apparently of obscure f o r e i g n d e r i v a t i l I f it means "apen i n t h e alphabet, it sugg e s t s a knowledge of e v o l u t i o n on t h e p a r ! of Q u a b a l i s t s a n t i d a t i n g t h e t h e o r i e s of Darwin by some thousands of y e a r s ; f o r t h e p a t h of QOPH i s t h a t of @ICorporealI n t e l 1 gence" ,"which informs everybody i n t h e i n f l u e n c e of t h e s o l a r orb, and i s t h e roo of a l l growth". (The word i k o r m s as h e r e employed,has t h e s e n s e , n o z e t e , of .'to form,vitalize,make o r i n s p i r i t . ")

The Corporeal I n t e l l i g e n c e i s t h a t mode of consciousness which b u i l d s t h e physical vehicle of t h e soul; and i t is t h e consciousness which has i t s bodily location i n t h e back of t h e head,in t h e cerebellum and t h e medulla oblongata. In t h e l a t t e ~ p a r t i c u l a r l y ,consc iousness i s a c t ivc at a l l times,even when t h e higher brain-centers are asleep, f o r it controls a l l the principle v i t a l funct ions. Now t h e l e t t e r QBPH i s associated with sleep i n t h e Book O f Fornation as a h i n t t h a t t h e Corporeal I n t e l l gence remains a c t i v e even i n sleep. Furthermore,as t h e I n t e l l i g e n c e which informs every body, it i s t h a t which e f f e c t s a l l s t r u c t u r a l tlansi. formations,and thus it i s t h e i m e d i a t e agency in evolution. Hence t h e Corporeal I n t e l l i g e n c e u n i t e s themOccult I n t e l l i g e n c e w of NETZACH ( t h e Supreme S p i r i t s hidde: knowledge of It' s l i m i t l e s s potent i a l i t i e s , which must f i n d expressio sooner o r l a t e r i n t h e p e r f e c t mani' f e s t a t i o n of I t s e l f implied by t h e nom VICTORY) t o the1'Resplendent I n t e l l i g e n c e N of MALKUTX. Note a l s o t h a t t h i s path corresponds t o t h e zodiacal sign Pices,which r u l e s t h e f e e t ,and t h a t it ends i n MALICUTEI, wherein are placed t h e f e e t of t h e Grand o r Hacrocosmic Man. This Corporeal I n t e l l i g e n c e a c t i n

9 response t o d e s i r e even i n t h e lowest forms of l i v i n g organisms. A 1 1 s t r u c t u r a l changes in t h e evolut i o n of h i g h e r types of 1i f e from lower ones,as Lamark long ago point e d o u t ,are brought about by e f f o r t t o g r a t i f y some d e s i r e f e l t by t h e e n t i t y i n whose organism r e p e a t e d a c t i o n d i r e c t e d towards some def in i t e end b r i n g s about such changes. In man t h e s e changes t a k e p l a c e o n l y , o r a t least p r i n c i p a l l y , within t h e range of t h e nervous organism. It i s by t h e t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s s o .z' wrought--during n a t u r a l s l e e p , be it observed-. t h a t t h e l a t e n t powers of man f i n d expression. I n o t h e r words, t h e higher f a c u l t i e s which are hidden,or o c c u l t , i n t h e masses of humanity,are brought f o r t h i n t o t h e supernormal powers of adepts , who have become p a r t a k e r s i n t h e Heavenly Kingdom(MAL~uT~)through t h e i n f l u e n c e of t h i s path,and t h e s powers c o n s t i t u t e Resplendent I n t e l l i g e n c e of MALKUTH.

The next p a t h , t h a t of RESH, i s t h e compliment o r r e f l e c t i o n o f t h e "Natural I n t e l l i g e n c e . It i s c a l l e d t h e U t C o l l e c t i n gI n t e l l i g e n ~ e ~ ~ b e c a u t h i s path corresponds t o t h e Sun,. which i s a g r e a t s t o r a g e b a t t e r y of t h e cosmic and s p i r i t u a l f i r e . T h i s f i r e i s c o l l e c t e d i n t h e Sun, and t h e r e lowered i n v i b r a t o r y speed so t h a t it becomes p e r c e p t i b l e t o o u r r o s s senses in t h e phenomena of f i g h t and heat. The cosmic energy i t s e l f i s a c t i v e l y manifest, fn

10 t h e ttAbsolute o r P e r f e c t i n t e l l i gence of HOD. The sages u n i t e t o dec l a r e t h a t t h e fundamental p r inc i p l e of t h e universe consciousness,whence i t follows hat t h e energy manifested by a l l modes of activity,whether f i n e o r g r o s s , i s inherently mental i n q u a l i t y . This f a c t is the s c i e n t i f i c b a s i s of magic.

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The cosmic energy i s c o l l e c t e d o r focussed a s s o l a r f o r c e i n t h e path of RES3,which communicates t h i s f o r t o t h e ninth Sephira,YESOD. The next path i s t h a t of S H I N , j o i n i n g t h e P e r f e c t I n t e l l i g e n c e of Hod t o t h e Resp lendent Z n t e l l igenc e of MALKmH. It is c a l l e d "Perpetual I n t e l l i g e n c e " , because it i s subject t o no change. Thus it i s i n d i r e c t c o n t r a s t t o t h e ever-changing Corpa r e a l Intelligence attributed t o t h e l e t t e r QOPH. Since t h i s path i s a t t r i b u t e d t o SHI?J,the t h i r d Mother l e t t e r , it a l s o r e f e r s t o t h e Primal FIRE. This path communicates the influence of t h e P i l l a r of Severity t o rCIALKUTX.The Peperpetual I n t e l l i gence i s t h a t which p e r s i s t s throug t h e s e r i e s of incarnations, a s t h e spark,or core of i n d i v i d u a l i t y around which t h e successive persona l i t i e s are b u i l t . The l a s t path i s t h a t of t h e l e t t e r TAiJ , t h e tlAdministrati v e o r A s s i s t i r I n t e l 1igenc eft,which c omnunicat e s t c t h e Resplendent I n t e l 1igence of

11 \ MALKUTH,the propagative power of YESOD, without which t h e R ~ s p l e n d e n t I n t e l l i g e n c e would be bakftn and unproductive. Compare t h i s path with t h a t of t h e Renewing I n t e l l i g e n c e , a l s o with thos of LAFED and TZADDI.The p o i n t i n common i s t h e i n f l u e n c e o f Saturn, which r u l e s Capricorn (AYIN) and Aquarious (TZADDI) and i s e x h a l t e d i n L i b r a (LAMED). The power of Satui i s double.Thus t h e a l c h e m i s t s say t h a t t h e i r Saturn(Lead) i s corrosive e x t e r n a l l y and Lunar i n t e r n a l l y . That i s , i t combines t h e form-destro] ing power of c o r r o s i o n with t h e p e r f e c t r e f l e c t i n g power of t h a t which t h e alchemists c a l l t h e Moon.

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The c o r r o s i v e power predominates i n Capricorn,or t h e Renewing I n t e l l i gence, t h e r e f l e c t i v e power i s a c t ivc i n t h e Natural i n t e l l i g e n c e . This Natural I n t e l l i g e n c e through t h e letter T z a d d i , i s a s s o c i a t e d with meditation. The path of LANZD rep r e s e n t s t h e e q u i l i b r a t i o n of t h e c o r r o s i v e and r e f l e c t i n g powers. These correspondences a r e shown i n t h e Tarot ,where J u s t i c e , a female f i g u r e , l i k e her who k n e e l s i n t h e p i c t u r e c a l l e d t h e STA9,holds t h e sword of c o r r o s i o n and t h e s c a l e s which symbolize t h e e q u i l i b r i u m a t t a i n e d through meditation. LNQD moreover corresponds t o Work and i s thus a l l i e d t o the Assisting i n t e l l gence, which a s p i c t u r e d by t h e

WORLD i n t h e Tarot,represents the

perfect ion of the Saturnine nature.

The Assisting Intel Ligence complete the sequential manifest a t ion of the Sephiroth. In human consciousness it i s expressed as s e l f - i d e n t i f i c a t ion with the Supreme S p i r i t ,and a s the dedication of the whole personal l i t e to the furtherance of the Great Vork. THE EWD.

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