Under the Umbra

About Under the Umbra

Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows.

Publisher

Electra Allenton

Category

health & fitness · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 May 2023

Latest episode

15 Jan 2025

Latest episodes

16 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Jan 2025

   Ep 16 - Heave To Podcast Swap! Electra is a guest!

   Electra discusses her experience as an adult child of emotionally immature parents, drawing on insights from Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD, and her own healing journey with Garrett on the Heave To podcast.

2. 

   24 Mar 2024

   Under The Umbra Ep 15 - Umbra Barbie Part 2

   In this Part 2 of 2 episode, Jenna from The Way Witch and I discuss Umbra Barbie: How Barbieworld forces Empathy-Challenged Non-Collaborative Behavior. Sections: 0:00    Intro Credits 1:06    Thanking Patrons 1:54    Content Warnings: Swearing (check your audience!); Mention of the supremacist cis hetero capitalist patriarchal empire we all live in a.k.a. the kyriarchy; the weirdness of “owning” small people as a white woman; Arts and Craft to make anatomically accurate dolls; play therapy to catalyze intimate partner violence and “drama” (a la real housewives?); Implicit and explicit systemic oppression of divergent people and Madness/Serious Mental Illness (Major Depression, BPD, SUD and ED, specifically); and mention of the movie’s cartoonish depictions of infanticide of babydolls in the first scenes. 2:34    Co-host intro: Jenna, The Way Witch 2:56    Grounding Prayer 3:40    Elec-Ture 6:08    The Human Being / Human Winner Masc(uline) Monomyth... so unsatisfying. 11:52    Human Giver Syndrome and The Mad (wo)Man in the Beach 21:52    Mad Kenough is not enough! 28:09:00    The Umbra perpetuates itself: How Barbieworld won't let St Barbie be loving to Ken or acknowledge group effort 35:09:00    Side Note: How much does RH hate being a mother, and some Surprise! DARVO bullshit at the end of the movie 37:26:00    Thesis: Mad Ken is an avatar for the experience of women within patriarchy, but he is judged by the diegetic co-residents of Barbieworld and the Real World, and by the non-diegetic audience and critics, according to masc/ableist standards for behavior, and he is abandoned according to ECNC behaviors, required to heal himself without support, and told this is a triumph and exciting, in order to maintain Hollywood’s access to Mattel’s brand material. Audio quality note: I added the addendum about music and fantasy of retribution when I was scanning the audio at 1.5 speed, so I accidentally recorded my aside at 1.5 speed and didn't catch that it was then slowed down when I rendered the MP3. When I get my mental ducks in a row, I will re-record that and re-upload it. 45:38:00    bonus critiques of white feminism 54:20:00    Unplanned Extra Thesis: The power of Decoding - we are hungry for revolution and we will find in emergent revelations. Long Live Fan Fiction! 1:05:03    Outro Credits Please see the show notes at UnderTheUmbra.info for the slide show, (a transcript in the future) and the large number of references and links. This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community.  I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under The Umbra . Info Support the show via Patreon.com This show is brought to you by Bridge to Becoming, LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic and used with permission. Under the Umbra Podcast logo is by Lo Carter. Subtitle was crafted by Vera Alcorn.

3. 

   10 Mar 2024

   Under The Umbra Ep 14 - Umbra Barbie Part 1

   In this episode, Jenna from The Way Witch and I discuss Umbra Barbie: How Barbieworld forces Empathy-Challenged Non-Collaborative Behavior. Sections: 0:00.000    Intro / Credits 1:06.264    Thanking Patrons 1:54.734    Introduction Chat 2:53.174    Co-host intros with some dogs 3:38.284    Grounding Prayer (with dogs and roommates) 5:28.563    Getting Started - Umbra Barbie is chaotic because the movie is chaotic 10:45.451    Can't talk about Barbie without talking about our relationship to Barbie 21:46.801    In this essay I will...  (the agenda) 30:53.977    Capitalism as played by Mattel and The Patriarchy as played by Hollywood with the shadowy Kyriarchy looming behind 32:36.375    Ruth Handler's ECNC signs 39:34.734    Waves of Feminism, as conceptualized by me, are in development not in time 45:53.519    How (not) To Criticize Your Funders and Handlers (ha ha) 57:30.133    End Transition and review of Agenda Please see the show notes at UnderTheUmbra.info for the slide show, (a transcript in the future) and the large number of references and links. This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community.  I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under The Umbra . Info Support the show via Patreon.com This show is brought to you by Bridge to Becoming, LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic and used with permission. Under the Umbra Podcast logo is by Lo Carter. Subtitle was crafted by Vera Alcorn.

4. 

   29 Sept 2023

   Under The Umbra Ep 13 - Heart-Centered Business

   In this episode, I talk with Mark Silver, M.Div. (he/him) about his new book Heart-Centered Business, which is released as a hardback on October 3, 2023. Audiobook and e-book formats are coming soon.  You can learn more about the book at Heart Centered Business Book dot com Sections: 0:00:00 Intro Credits 0:01:07 Thanking Patrons and Supporters! 0:01:49 Introduction Chat: My history with this guest! 0:07:02 Introduction Chat: Heart-Centered Business book summary and Mark Silver's Bios 0:11:18 Grounding Prayer and Invocation 0:13:25 Quick Summary to catch Mark up with what this podcast is all about... into a very suave and subtle segue! 0:15:47 Introduction to Mark's model of Toxic Business Culture: We want to heal from toxic business culture; so what is it, and how can we heal from it and create thriving business and cultivate a community of heart-centered businesses? 0:20:47 American Capitalism and the values that fostered it became a default paradigm for belief and values; how do we notice that and then choose a different way? By Leaning In (instead of turning away or disavowing) the discomfort of the current paradigm, finding love even here, and then finding the core human interactions which can be performed wtih love and safety instead of self-focus and exploitation. 0:26:58 When we have the urge to disavow or turn away from, or just hold your nose and push through to use, the exploitative or self-focused (empathy-challenged non-collaborative) Toxic Business Culture, how do we learn to stand strongly in what we do without replicating the self-aggrandizing status quo? 0:37:23 One tool for finding the core of human interaction at the heart of business is to stay grounded in an invitation to find Divine Love in all interactions, to focus on creating safety and respecting sovereignity, a.k.a. appreciating people with warm empathy and engaging in collaboration. 0:44:07 Exploration of terms, lest our brains explode from talking past each other: collaboration and coming to consensus, making agreements (which, in editing, within this podcast's content I might call Setting Boundaries) 0:48:51 Last question: How to discern useful business coaching tools and programs from scammy, inexperienced exploitative systems that replicate the status quo for the enrichment of the person selling it to you (even if they have honest intentions)? 0:57:53 Remember! You can exercise Power and Influence and support your author and creator folks by pre-ordering or buying their books on the day they drop! Learning about the back-stage levers that make things work might seem squicky at first, but then you realize what LEVERage you have to create influence in your life and in others! 1:00:01 Outro Credits References: If Books Could Kill episode The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss on Apple Podcasts  and Spotify as they don’t seem to have a main webpage. Episode blurb: Have you ever wanted to escape the grind and follow your dreams? This week we're discussing "The 4-Hour Workweek," which reveals that all you need is a plan, a willingness to take risks and a modestly sized fraud operation built on Third World labor. Heart of Business Book, link above And some samples of the Heart of Business content and vibe, to see if this book would be right for you! [Don’t] Buy Now! Don’t get taken in by the scammers You can learn get a sample of the vibe by visiting Heart of Business  for their free articles, TikTok Facebook for oldsters like me Medium This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community.  I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under The Umbra . Info Support the show via Patreon.com This show is brought to you by Bridge to Becoming, LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic and used with permission. Under the Umbra Podcast logo is by Lo Carter. Subtitle was crafted by Vera Alcorn.

5. 

   15 Sept 2023

   Under The Umbra Ep 12 - Summary and Check-In, or... Start Here and then go back to the beginning!

   😄 In this episode, I'm reviewing some of my values for the show and how they might show up differently than you think, and offering a summary of my key take-aways of Empathy, Collaboration, Boundaries and Power. No co-host this week. Just me talking into a microphone at yoOoooOooouuUuuu, my listeners! If you like conversations more than reading a script, you can skip this one because it's just a summary of episodes 2-11! But if those looked a bit long when you think about what to play, you can start here and then go back to the episode where you want to learn more! Sections: 00:00    Intro Credits 01:00    Thanking Patrons 01:49    Introduction Chat and Content Warnings 03:18    Grounding Prayer 04:13    Discussion about Values (at the start of all shows) 07:40    Summary of thoughts about Empathy (Episodes 2-3) 10:55    Summary of thoughts about Collaboration (Episodes 4-5-6) 17:53    Summary and a bit of extra context about Boundaries (Episodes 7-8) 24:33    Summary about Power (Episodes 9-10-11) 30:14    Wrap-up 30:49    Outro Credits If any of these summaries are a bit too short, feel free to return to the corresponding episode for 2-11 for more in-depth discussion, or join me on Patron and ask a question for more clarification! Since this is just me talking into a microphone, there is a whole transcript, already! 😲 😲 Please see the show notes (link updated once it's ready) for the transcript and the small handful of references. This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community. I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under the Umbra .info! Support the show via Patreon.com The show is supported by “Responsive” Patrons: Ellery and KC, as well as several more on the Structured and Unscripted levels! Thank you so much for your support! This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle crafted by Vera!

6. 

   1 Sept 2023

   Under The Umbra Ep 11 - Power Part 3 of 3 ...finally

   In this episode, we’re discussing Power! This is part 3 of 3, finally! The Co-Host is Ian, not currently findable! The next episode will be a summary of the last five topics. Sections 0:00:00    Intro Credits 0:01:06    Thanking Benefactors! 0:02:14    Introduction Chat, Content Warnings: Swearing! Please consider your audience and surroundings while listening! Brief referral to the holocaust. Quick descriptions of how abuses of power are often interpersonal violence, without detail. Mention of the 45th president and January 6th events, vaguely. Quick mention of JK Rowling and transphobia. Supreme Court corruption. Union strikes and government-corporate strike-breaking. 0:04:25    Ian's Intro section 0:05:34    Grounding Prayer 0:06:28    strike review - striking is a lateral move to set boundaries in the face of non-collaboration because people who face non-collaboration continually escalate until they are acknowledged 0:09:28    Treatment for learned helplessness is small actions of empowerment, and noticing responsibilities 0:09:59    Power called "agency" (which I reject) versus Sense of Coherence 0:10:41    Sense of coherence by Aaron antonovsky 0:15:07    interjection: salutogenic, generating health aka the Latin word root Salus like the Spanish sneeze-response "!Salud!" 0:16:04    Finish explaining Sense of Coherence as a method of auditing one's Power, and how you've been rejecting learned helplessness, in a way that promotes health 0:22:00    Connecting Power To vs Power Over, Power Paradox of how true power is power to help others but a sense of powerlessness and lack of control makes us switch to power over others, and how to audit power by tallying your sense of coherence. 0:25:36    Elec-ture at the end! 0:45:45    Outro Credits References mentioned in the show can be found in the show notes! I also have a transcript to the Elec-ture. This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community.  I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light! Support the show via Patreon.com Thanks to my Patrons KC and Ellery, and many others, for supporting the show! This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle crafted by Vera!

7. 

   2 Aug 2023

   Under The Umbra Ep 10 - Power Part 2 of 3

   In this episode, we’re discussing Power! This is part 2 of 3. The Co-Host is my longtime friend Ian, and he and his girlfriend have an upcoming project of artisan soap. I’ll share more info once they get it set up. If you’d like to help out or mentor them on soap distribution, let me (Electra) know and I’ll get you in contact! Sections 0:00:00    Intro Credits 0:01:06    Thanking my Patrons 0:02:14    Introduction Chat Content Warnings... I am a bit unfocused and probably missed some. If you let me know via Patreon, I'll update the show notes here. 0:06:40    Ian's Intro section and our relationship - Japan 0:07:54    Grounding Prayer 0:08:48    Return to Dacher Keltner's book The Power Paradox... and the Paradox revealed by his team's research. But the paradox IS NOT INEVITABLE. There IS another way! 0:13:59    Examples in Public View (speculative): Elon Musk in 2023 as an example of erratic awareness of the power one holds based on how powerless he feels internally. 0:19:12    Interjection about Elon Musk, fact-checking (links in show notes!) 0:24:06    Also a feeling of powerlessness while actually holding power is something that plays out in the small scale, like in family, small business, religious communities... 0:25:37    Intentional or negligent/carelessness keeping a large populace too powerless individually: reflecting on WGA (and now SAG-AFTRA) strike and Glacier NW Supreme Court Case ruling that undermines the workers' collective power and enhances the corporations' collective power 0:34:37    Unions are collective power, and by collaboratively funding them, it creates security for all members and all industry colleagues 0:37:01    Interjection: 1980s? Oops, actually 1947 and then 2018. 0:38:20   Back to WGA strike and Glacier NW v Teamsters 0:41:37    These were decisions. There are alternatives. It seems overwhelming, too many threads to tangle. But if we focus on the values of empathy and collaboration that we want, it's easier to recognize which threads to pull... and I think we're not alone in feeling the current values of self-focus and zero-sum competition are untenable. 0:43:56    Interjection of self-disclosure and why the episode is out so many weeks delayed! Skip forward 4 min 30ish sec to ending credits if you want. 0:48:25    Outro Credits References to the show (and there are a lot, a lot, a lot) can be found in the show notes! As well as a transcript of the Elec-ture. This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community.  I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under the Umbra .info! Support the show via Patreon.com The show is supported by “Responsive” Patrons: Ellery and KC, as well as several more on the Structured and Unscripted levels! Thank you so much for your support! This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle crafted by Vera!

8. 

   7 Jul 2023

   Under The Umbra Ep 09 - Power Part 1 of 3

   In this episode, we’re discussing Power! This is part 1 of 3. The Co-Host is my longtime friend Ian, and he and his girlfriend have an upcoming project of artisan soap. I’ll share more info once they get it set up. If you’d like to help out or mentor them on soap distribution, let me (Electra) know and I’ll get you in contact! He is currently not find-able. Sections 0:00:00    Intro Credits 0:01:06    Introduction Chat 0:10:36    Ian's Intro section and our relationship via Japan 0:12:13    Grounding Prayer 0:13:09    talking about Power in conflict 0:14:23    Alicia Garza and #BLM - 2015 - power TO versus power OVER 0:15:12    Sword of Damacles and Power - hidden costs, hidden anxiety 0:18:00    more about Power To and cold rational wielding stems from Western beliefs about purity reductionism and hierarchy; can compare to Eastern philosophy of phasic and overlapping nature of reality, relative and holographic; and realize There Is An Alternative 0:21:50 Philosophies/paradigms are Made True through punishing or ignoring anything that disagrees and rewarding and extolling anything that confirms it, so in the US linear hierarchies look like There Is No Alternative; this makes people who could use Power To inclined to disavow their power because it's associated with Power Over as the only option when it isn't. 0:22:54    What happens when we disavow our Power? 1) We don't act when we could, and 2) When we do act, we flail and clumsily cause harm. Also informed by Heart Of Business class Money & Power "I am wearing sturdy boots" analogy 0:24:33    Linear Hierarchy is linked to Zero-Sum Game; a reminder that there is also an alternative to that thinking. News correspondent and Wealth Pie; Terry Pratchett and Poverty Is Expensive Boots parable 0:28:58    Dacher Keltner's The Power Paradox and useful definitions (derived from trying to do research and get specific): Control = influence over self and immediate environment; Power = Influence over others and larger environment 0:31:10 Digression about Alpha Males and debunking that whole concept 0:35:05    Sidebar - Diving Reflex - splashing cold water on your face triggers nervous system state-change? 0:36:20    The Power Paradox: you are given power (influence over others) when you are kind, trustworthy, and of service; but if you perceive you have power and attempt to use it for control, you can lose trustworthiness and then lose power. 0:37:19    Outro Credits References mentioned in the show (and there are lots) can be found in the show notes. This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community.  I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under The Umbra . Info Support the show via Patreon.com. Thanks to Ellery and KC for supporting the show! This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle crafted by Vera Alcorn!

9. 

   14 Jun 2023

   Under The Umbra Ep 08 - Boundaries Part 2 of 2

   In this episode, we’re discussing Boundaries! This is part 2 of 2. The next episodes will be about Power. The Co-Host is Jenna Bowers and here’s where you can find her work (and another cameo of her familiar Willoughby): TheWayWitch (https://www.thewaywitch.com/) • Instagram • TikTok • Facebook 0:00:00    Intro Credits 0:01:06    Introduction Chat with Content Warnings: swearing; all sorts of descriptions for boundary crossings and violations. Just, so many. 0:04:29    Grounding Prayer 0:05:24    Jenna Intro 0:06:10    The biggest barrier to "setting boundaries" in our American Culture is the false idea of individualism - Boundaries require collaboration or at least acknowledgment, and discovering you didn't have as strong boundaries as you thought is painful no matter the other intersectional privilege 0:09:38    Exercise: step 1 - where is ME, where are my current boundaries, where do I want them to be, where do other people have them? 0:11:34    Interjection: in cases of long-term coercive control, especially with children, there might not be a bastion in their mind; Victor Frankl went into the holocaust already a trained psychologist 0:13:11    Interjection: Anne of Green Gables used imagination to survive trauma, but she is depicted as having a secure family for her first 3 years of life 0:14:20    Exercise: Step 2 - how rigid or flexible do I need my boundary in this realm with this person to be? 0:15:33    Exercise: Step 3 - In what realm(s) are the boundaries you are setting? and, over what span? and again, research/investigate how others are managing boundaries even in overwhelming situations. 0:17:30    Exercise: Step 4 - Boundary versus Ultimatum or "empty threat" 0:22:51    The way you set boundaries is (1) where can I set them now (2) how rigid or flexible right now (3) What realm do I need to set them in (4)  What can I do if they are crossed or violated? and (5)1234 evaluate-circle back around 0:23:42    Reflections? important clarifier for steps 1-3: what is it I need here? and self-contained ways to enact No. 4 of What Can I Do If... 0:27:32    Interlude into Dissociation and Freeze as valid and necessary responses as Step 4 if that's what power you have. All human responses have times when they are the appropriate response, and maybe a lot of times they aren't. 0:30:10    Considering that what you have access to is what you have access to, how do you start experimenting with establishing and expanding on responses for Step 4 and revisiting steps 1-4? 0:31:09    Interjection: sometimes boundaries are further crossed and violated and so the next step is distance or estrangement if that is possible; that usually comes only after many iterations of the experiment are done. Full estrangement or "canceling" almost always occurs because something in the interactions or the environment has already shown copious evidence of an inability to trust that boundaries will be respected. 0:37:27    Summary of self-based resources for Step 4...  Is it only removal of self? You may have community and society to rely on, and have more power and influence than you think. If you don't have power up and down the current hierarchy, that's why Trickster Gods gave us models for lateral moves. Again, it needs experimentation. 0:43:57    Inaccurately told story of musician Afroman whose house was invaded by police so he made a music video, accurate details in show notes below 0:46:51    Cameo / Guest Appearance by Jenna's familiar Willoughby reminding us that sometimes Fight/Verbal aggression and willingness to escalate is also acceptable 0:47:52    Summary of Step 4: You figure out what works, under your solo power, under your community power, or lateral-move power, and you keep experimenting. 0:48:30    Bonus Interjection with Current Event thoughts about Unions and boundaries but a timer on my phone cut it off mid-rant and I just can't record any more audio before publishing. Ah well. 0:55:57    Outro and Credits Here’s my proposed method of finding your own boundaries: Develop a sense of yourself and you-ness; how far does your influence reach? Is it centered on yourself or do you need to work towards that goal? Wherever you can find your safest, most secure edge, that’s where you start setting boundaries. How flexible or rigid do you need this boundary to be? What realm do the boundaries need to exist on? Physical (walls), emotional (no longer co-regulating another person), time or priority (I will not fetch you coffee if I have a project deadline) Figure out how you will tell if the boundary is crossed, and what you will do to enforce the boundary or find a way to get to a safe space. Boundaries and Consequences are not the same as Ultimatums and Threats. Repeat steps 1-4 in many situations with many people and systems. References mentioned in the show can be found in the show notes! This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community.  I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under The Umbra dot Info Support the show via Patreon.com (https://www.patreon.com/UnderTheUmbraPodcast). Thanks to KC and Ellery for supporting the show! This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle selected by Vera Alcorn!

10. 

    14 Jun 2023

    Under The Umbra Ep 07 - Boundaries Part 1 of 2

    In this episode, we’re discussing Boundaries! This is part 1 of 2. The next episodes will be about Power. The Co-Host is Jenna Bowers and here’s where you can find her work (and another cameo of her familiar Willoughby): TheWayWitch (https://www.thewaywitch.com/) • Instagram • TikTok • Facebook 0:00:00    Intro and Credits 0:01:06    Introduction Chat with content warnings: swearing; Woo and existence of people who identify as being a witch; boundary crossing & boundary violation discussion, e.g. NAFTA, Russia invading Ukraine, medical malpractice, and discussion of coercive rape related to a famous attempted manslaughter case in the early 1990s. 0:08:03    Grounding Prayer with meows 0:08:58    Jenna’s Intro - The Way Witch 0:11:02    Why should we talk about Boundaries? Why did I invite a professional witch on to talk about Boundaries? 0:16:03    So then what is a boundary? How do we look around at what boundaries already exist in the world to figure out our own? (credit to J. L. + R.B. workshop for learning this approach, link below!) 0:23:01    An exercise in exploring personal space and behavioral boundaries that requires empathy and collaboration; demonstrates how easy it is to cross boundaries even with non-malicious intentions, and then how it takes having your boundaries being respected to heal from boundary violations. 0:28:27    Interesting that we as a culture rarely explicitly talk about boundaries. Here are various realms for boundaries. 0:30:37    Useful  jargon: respecting, upholding, crossing, violating 0:35:15    Example from You're Wrong About podcast’s depiction of Amy Fisher and Joey Buttafuoco: an older person exploits the ignorance of a younger person to violate many boundaries, and then in contrast with Big Strong and Kind desired behavior of more resourced people towards younger people 0:42:23    Review - what even are boundaries and who is defining them, upholding them, etc.; boundaries REQUIRE consent and collaboration and self-knowledge or community-cultural acceptance; if someone doesn't know where their boundaries are, it’s much harder to respect them 0:46:44    So how do you discover your own boundaries? Start thinking of the many realms where boundaries can reside and questioning where you have felt your boundaries were crossed or violated. 0:48:30    Digression into Comfort; and how Whose Comfort Is Respected and Protected is a major component of oppressive regimes, featuring an inaccurately remembered recounting of #LaughingWhileBlack 2015. 0:54:16    Digression and spoilers for next series about Power 0:55:28    Jenna's final summary for how fragile boundaries are thus far, contrasted with everyone's innate deserving of boundaries 0:56:40    Outro and Credits References mentioned in the show can be found in the show-notes! This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community.  I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under The Umbra dot Info Support the show via Patreon.com  (https://www.patreon.com/UnderTheUmbraPodcast) Thanks to Ellery and KC for supporting the show! This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle selected by Vera Alcorn!

11. 

    29 May 2023

    Under The Umbra Ep 06 - Collaboration Part 3 of 3 and preview of Patreon content

    NOTE: When this episode was recorded, Electra still had an active license to practice acupuncture. As of July 2024, all her licenses are in INACTIVE or LAPSED status. See website for more details. In this episode, we’re discussing Collaboration! This is both the final part of the conversation with Kiki, and is a teaser for some of the bonus material you can get by becoming a Patron of my show on Patreon. Link in show notes! This is an example of the extra, lightly edited, unscripted conversations. This is part 5 of 5. The next topic will be Boundaries! The Co-Host is Kiki and you can find her work here: Instagram: @heretic.homestead   TikTok @heretichomestead  and now on YouTube @heretichomestead9896 Sections 0:00:00 Intro 0:01:28 Introduction Chat: Preview for Patron content - ECNC in public view! 0:06:17 Content Warnings Content warnings for Parts 1 2 and 3 of the Collaboration episodes: To explain what it feels like to be in a non-collaborative relationship, I and my co-host describe distressing psychological experiences such as hypervigilant anxiety, ruminative and psychogenic insomnia, “barrage of rhetorical convincing,” intrusive thoughts that involve interpersonal violence, homicidal ideation, suicidal ideation, destruction of institutions; losing supportive relationships and becoming isolated Content warnings for Part 3: stalking (in the intro) and systemic and litigation abuse of the stalking victim; cuckoo birds; sibling abuse; squicky bio stuff specifically illnesses caused by fecal bacteria; also, for people with sound sensitivity, my cat came to let me know that Kiki and I had talked for too long and to wrap it up, so you will hear him meowing and bumping into the microphone. 0:07:32 Grounding Prayer 0:08:40 Kiki's quick intro reprise 0:09:12 Why Do We Care about Collaborative versus Non-Collaborative relationships and where Empathy fits in with that... Oops, that's a Stay Tuned situation! 0:10:21 Kiki, my fabulous Audience Surrogate, has Reactions and Reflections! Electra has Goals! 0:13:59 Kiki tells a story about Hypervigilance and how it shows up in unpredicted ways 0:15:18 Back to how learning a new model can create a huge retrospective crisis. Am I now re-labeling what is normal, but able to help other situations? Or do I have a name for a challenging situation in my life right now and it explains some things. 0:18:12 Kiki has a retrospective moment regarding work situations in the past; sidebar: proposition that Burnout is actually micro-moral injuries as people in power over you coerce you to violate your own morals 0:20:30 How far do you revise? Is it that you're surrounded by a------s, or is non-collaboration a Norm we see at work, in relationships, on TV... 0:22:12 Final Thoughts and Future Plans... and my cat says Wrap It Up! 0:23:08 Outro, Credits, and Disclaimer Links to all resources mentioned on the episode's forever home at UnderTheUmbra.Info (https://undertheumbra.info/) This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community. I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. Support the show via Patreon.com! Thanks to my patrons KC and Ellery for supporting the show! Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle crafted by Vera!

12. 

    29 May 2023

    Under The Umbra Ep 05 - Collaboration Part 2 of 3

    NOTE: When this episode was recorded, Electra still had an active license to practice acupuncture. As of July 2024, all her licenses are in INACTIVE or LAPSED status. See website for more details. In this episode, we’re discussing Collaboration! This is part 4 of 5. The next episode is wrapping up the conversation about Collaboration with my co-host. I’m not sure yet what the next topic will be because I’ve got several lined up. Sections 0:00:00    Intro 0:01:22    Introduction Chat 0:06:03    Content Warnings Content warnings for Parts 1 2 and 3 of the Collaboration episodes: To explain what it feels like to be in a non-collaborative relationship, I and my co-host describe distressing psychological experiences such as hypervigilant anxiety, ruminative and psychogenic insomnia, “barrage of rhetorical convincing,” intrusive thoughts that involve interpersonal violence, homicidal ideation, suicidal ideation, destruction of institutions; losing supportive relationships and becoming isolated Content warnings for Part 2: imagined/fictional interpersonal violence due to intrusive thoughts including torture; serial sexual assault perpetrated by a celebrity; political corruption by a past politician; mob violence (stochastic terrorism) and fictional description of homicide; workplace harassment; and descriptions of things that might trigger body dysmorphia. 0:07:37    Grounding Prayer 0:08:45    Kiki's quick intro reprise 0:09:14    A quick digression about how the behavior you develop in a non-collaborative relationship feels jarring and confuses others in a collaborative relationship 0:09:56    Intrusive Thoughts come from Learned Helplessness 0:11:45    How Learned Helplessness creates escalation of What It Would Take To Influence This Situation and that creates Intrusive Thoughts 0:13:16    Another way towards Intrusive Thoughts is, What Would It Take To Get You To Empathize? How Do I Recreate My Lived Experience In Your Body?  uuuuuuh, I guess, uuuh, enhanced interrogation? because nothing else seems to work. 0:15:30    Sidebar: How people having intrusive thoughts and being disturbed by them provides cover for people who talk openly about their inclinations to create a sense of normalcy for when they actually act on those harmful actions. 0:19:15    Stochastic Terrorism as portrayed by mob violence from being Under The Umbra / an Emotional Regime of Othering, and how an Umbra of a non-collaborative relationship creates a direction for the violence for Stochastic Terrorism to occur 0:25:13    But non-collaborative Umbras creating emotional regimes which include an oppressed group or a scapegoat 'target of blame' also create the same micro environment as Stochastic Terrorism does on the national level and the Umbra creates the same obfuscation of Plausible Deniability 0:26:13    When you are in a non-collaborative relationship and the invisibility shield plus learned helplessness means you feel powerless to influence THAT relationship, you then run the risk of heaviliy overburdening the relationships in your life that ARE collaborative... until they cut you off for self-preservation, because you have become non-collaborative from being underresourced 0:31:13    Non-collaborative relationships happen all the time, phasically and because of neurodivergence; in every demo and SEC and can be co-morbid with other conditions; and being perpetually non-collaborative creates an Umbra where the people Under the Umbra feel the effects I've described in these episodes 0:32:32    First step: look in your metaphorical rear view mirror and blind spots, or open the closet door to peer at the jumbled storage, to see where you are in relationship with a non-collaborative person, to pierce the invisibility shield and start to make plans about how to change that relationship, cultivate self-compassion and self-forgiveness and relationship repair, and find resources 0:33:43    When you pull down the invisibility shield, suddenly a person who appeared normal before suddenly appears to be an Alien or a Monster... but hopefullly this is a phase in your repair, not the final form; Stopping with that as the Final Form = Cut Out Toxic People culture 0:37:04    Outro, Credits, and Disclaimer The Co-Host is Kiki and you can find her work here: Instagram: @heretic.homestead TikTok @heretichomestead  and now YouTube @heretichomestead9896 References mentioned in the show can be found in the show notes! This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community. I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under The Umbra . Info Support the show at Patreon.com/UnderTheUmbraPodcast This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle crafted by Vera!

13. 

    29 May 2023

    Under The Umbra Ep 04 - Collaboration Part 1 of 3

    NOTE: When this episode was recorded, Electra still had an active license to practice acupuncture. As of July 2024, all her licenses are in INACTIVE or LAPSED status. See website for more details. In this episode, we’re discussing Collaboration! This is part 3 of 5. The next two episodes are more about Collaboration from the same conversation with my co-host. I’m not sure yet what the next topic will be because I’ve got several lined up. The Co-Host is Kiki and you can find her work here: Instagram: @heretic.homestead   TikTok @heretichomestead And now YouTube @heretichomestead9896 ! Sections 0:00:00    Intro 0:01:13    Introduction Chat 0:09:18    Content Warnings Content warnings for Parts 1 2 and 3 of the Collaboration episodes: To explain what it feels like to be in a non-collaborative relationship, I and my co-host describe distressing psychological experiences such as hypervigilant anxiety, ruminative and psychogenic insomnia, “barrage of rhetorical convincing,” intrusive thoughts that involve interpersonal violence, homicidal ideation, suicidal ideation, destruction of institutions; losing supportive relationships and becoming isolated Content warnings for Part 1: I mention systemic support that protects police violence and racial bias, from the hypothetical point of view of a person who has experienced the violence. I mention parental neglect; I also obliquely mention how there is a very specific and not fully accurate set of conditions for people to be believed about experiencing intimate partner violence. 0:10:46    Grounding Prayer 0:11:54    Kiki's Intro 0:12:48    Review of Warm Empathy and Cold Empathy and why I link this with Collaboration 0:14:15    Starting to talk about Collaboration and how I define it 0:15:25    Interjection: "Over a sustained period of time" 0:15:54    Versus Consensus or Agreement which I am less interested in 0:21:43    Goal of Consensus presumes that Collaboration is present but it is a separate thing and may not be present. A “consensus” can be actually a unilaterally beneficial thing where one party gave up everything but both parties “agree” to the outcome. 0:23:41 When collaboration is working because there is a drive towards empathy underpinning it; it includes room to falter and repair and there are future opportunities for growth and needs to be met and to build trust and reduce distress 0:27:24    Why I Chose Collaboration as the Pair to Empathy and What it feels like to be in a non-collaborative relationship 0:29:59 Intrusive thoughts Interjection 0:31:45    Interjection about Suicidal Ideation - Nationwide Crisis Line is 9-8-8 0:35:15    The Invisibility Shield over the most distressing Non-Collaborative Relationship 0:37:59    What years of tiny, individually dismissed instances of having your needs-wants-desires-preferences not cared about adds up to crushing dehumanization aka be nice to your friends who just broke up or estranged from someone 0:41:09    The Barage of Rhetorical Convincing aka How to have 18+ justifications for existing, moving, breathing, speaking, and maybe wanting something sometime ever 0:42:53    Hypervigilant Anxiety which can lead to intrusive thoughts, obsessive and ruminative thinking, and compulsions 0:46:16 Vigilant anxiety during the day leads to rumination insomnia at night which can turn into anxiety about sleep loss which worsens anxiety and sleep dep makes you under-resourced 0:47:40    Outro, Credits, and Disclaimer References mentioned in the show can be found in show-notes: This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community. I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at UnderTheUmbra.Info Support the show via Patreon.com/UnderTheUmbraPodcast (link updated 6/1/2023) This show is brought to you by Bridge to Becoming, LLC. This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. The show is supported by “Responsive” Patrons: Ellery and KC, as well as several more on the Structured and Unscripted levels! Thank you so much for your support! Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle selected by Vera Alcorn!

14. 

    19 May 2023

    Under The Umbra Ep 03 - Empathy Part 2 of 2

    NOTE: When this episode was recorded, Electra still had an active license to practice acupuncture. As of July 2024, all her licenses are in INACTIVE or LAPSED status. See website for more details. In this episode, we’re discussing Empathy! This is part 2 of 5. The next episodes will be about Collaboration, and you can listen to episode 02 for the intro to warm and cold empathy as a combination of abilities. The Co-Host is Kiki and you can find her work here: Instagram: @heretic.homestead and TikTok @heretichomestead In this episode, we’re discussing Empathy! This is part 2 of 5. The next episodes will be about Collaboration, and you can listen to episode 02 for the intro to warm and cold empathy as a combination of abilities. The Co-Host is Kiki and you can find her work here: Instagram: @heretic.homestead and TikTok @heretichomestead Sections 0:00:00 Intro 0:01:06 Resources to go deeper, resources mentioned in the show 0:01:26 Rethinking Narcissism by Dr. Craig Malkin (Libro.FM link) (Bookshop.org link) 0:02:40 What Happened to You? by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey (Libro.fm link) (Bookshop.org link) 0:03:13 This is Criminal Podcast Episode 51 Money Tree (and also the sister podcast This Is Love) 0:03:36 Schema Therapy and DBT/Dialectical Behavior Therapy 0:05:09 Upcoming show summary: People who understand that warm empathy takes effort for some folks in their community can offer support for the process by helping to get them resources or assisting them in hacking the outcome of warm empathy, but providing support to people who have a hard time thinking of others’ needs can also take energy and can be a cause of harm 0:05:48 But before the show starts, I have to soothe how I lie awake at night asking myself, Why Did I Say That? Manipulation. Caring. Limited Domain and Comparison doesn't have to be a value judgment. 0:12:42 OMG did I mention I talk a lot? anyway... Transition into the show 0:13:04 Insight and Empathy? Is it too scary to look in an insight mirror when you think you're an alien? Does having insight mean you are no longer challenged? 0:18:55 Azula from AtLAB and acceptance of labels of "wrongness" versus tolerating the self-interrogation and big feelings and getting through fatigue needed for interpersonal growth. 0:22:37 The Hope of this entire podcast, Under the Umbra, is that if we - societally- can recognize empathy-challenged and non-collaborative behaviors and underresourced people/situations, then many people can intervene. Harm-reduction as the Ethic/Value. 0:26:28 Someone, call 9-1-1 and help this person think of others' wellbeing! Wait, who is Someone? Is Someone the traumatized person? Or can Someone be a person with fewer stakes? 0:29:28 There is no requirement to turn the other cheek if it means you're cheek is slapped over and over again. If you have resources, step up. But if you have the spidey-sense Trauma-Vision recognition because your own trauma is re-activated, then you can tap out. 0:32:47 Another source of resource is when you have trauma-vision but it isn't your trauma, so you can "cross-train" and have more capacity to provide accommodations. 0:36:00 It's possible to create safe environment to help folks with low warm empathy to bring it forth or find a workaround. 0:36:54 Step 1 - Have words for things; Step 2 - See when it's happening; Step 3 - Tally resources; Step 3.5 - s it my job? then do the job, and if not? refer or tap out; Step 4 - Continue to analyze steps 1-4 0:37:28 Some empathy-challenged non-collaborative situations we cannot just escape (e.g. white supremacy) so what tools do we have to Survive while calling out and then undermining/transforming that system, instead? 0:38:11 final thoughts, and teaser for Collaboration 0:38:48 Outro and credits This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community. I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. Find the show's home at Under The Umbra . Info Support the show via Patreon.com This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. The show is supported by “Responsive” Patrons: E.S. and KC.C. as well as several more on the Structured and Unscripted levels! Thank you so much for your support! Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle crafted by Vera Alcorn!

15. 

    12 May 2023

    Under The Umbra Ep 02 - Empathy Part 1 of 2

    This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community.  I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. NOTE: When this episode was recorded, Electra still had an active license to practice acupuncture. As of July 2024, all her licenses are in INACTIVE or LAPSED status. See website for more details. In this episode, we’re discussing Empathy! This is part 1 of 4. The next episode will be more about Empathy, and then we’ll have 2 episodes about Collaboration. The Co-Host is Kiki and you can find her work here: Instagram: @heretic.homestead and TikTok @heretichomestead Sections - Show Intro - Intro essay with content warnings for the whole show, and a TL;DListen for this 4-part series. - Trigger warnings for talking about Empathy and Collaboration challenges - Links to other discussions of warm (emotional, affective) and cold (cognitive, dark) empathy - TL;DListen summary of Empathy Parts 1 and 2 and Clickbait for Collaboration Parts 1 and 2 - OMG I talk a lot! Will this change? Maybe. On with the conversation! - Intro to Kiki! - Grounding Prayer and Intentions - "Empathy" is a stack of neurological functions that we can have developmental or situational (phasic) strengths or challenges with, and when we investigate the stack of things that build it up, we can see how we can get challenged. - Empathy Challenged - more specific detail - what makes up empathy? Includes Mirror Neurons, Theory of Mind (not mentioned but included: memory of our own emotional and body state) - Warm Empathy involves Caring - as in, I have lovingkindness towards you, and also, I have desires about outcomes in this situation - Warm Empathy linked to "Conscience" as well as minimally prompted felt-sense of shame and guilt about having harmed others - Cold empathy is "cognitive" but still subconscious, and has many of the same actions, but has less of the embodied "drive" that prods action. - More about Cold Empathy and pattern recognition for where you fit into society and sorting out what the rules are, which includes Salience as in Important, Relevant, Significant, Noteworthy. - Digression about the words Good and Bad and why I prefer Pro-Social versus Self-Oriented or Survival-Oriented; because that makes it hard to describe harm and patterns of harm, and how to set up systems of incentives for pro-social and harm-reduction behavior - Thought exercise to develop empathy for people behaving Empathy-Challenged because of being Under Resourced - Choosing "Empathy" as a concept to evaluate and plan for interpersonal and systems interactions, and how being Empathy-Challenged can trigger "personality disorder" levels of difficulty in flexibility in how one responds to stress (also, my cat is loving on the microphone). - Outro and Credits - To Be Continued in Part 2 References mentioned in the show: Autism In Heels by Jennifer Cook O’Toole at Libro.FM and Bookshop.com (These partially affiliate links.) @livedexperienceeducator clip about perspectives on empathy @NarcJester Instagram post about types of empathy and kindness with low empathy post Find the show's home at UnderTheUmbra.Info Support the show via Patreon.com This podcast was created, recorded, edited and produced by me, Electra, and brought to you by Bridge to Becoming LLC. The show is supported by “Responsive” Patrons: E.S. and KC.C. as well as several more on the Structured and Unscripted levels! Thank you so much for your support! Music is by SoulProdMusic on Pixabay and used with permission. Show art is by Lo Carter, 2023. Subtitle crafted by Vera!

16. 

    5 May 2023

    Under The Umbra Ep 01 - Introduction

    This is Under the Umbra: Using Empathy and Collaboration to Navigate a World of Shadows. In each episode, Electra and the co-hosts explore ways to think about and plan for difficult relationships with people and systems in a way that stays grounded in values and centers community. I invite you to try out focusing on Empathy and Collaboration as a realistic and compassionate model for interpersonal interactions. If you find yourself Under the Umbra, let’s find our way back to the light. NOTE: When this episode was recorded, Electra still had an active license to practice acupuncture. As of July 2024, all her licenses are in INACTIVE or LAPSED status. See website for more details. In this episode, we’re discussing the reason for the show, the meaning of the name, and a bit of introduction of the values and identity of the host. Sections - Intro - Descriptions, Depictions, and a New Model for describing and planning for challenging behaviors and systems - Total Solar Eclipse as a metaphor for challenging relationships and institutions - The values that support the show - The intersectional identities of the host - Electra - Outro and Credits - Disclaimer - Farewell until next time Find the show's home at UnderTheUmbra.info Support the show via Patreon.com/UnderTheUmbraPodcast (https://www.patreon.com/UnderTheUmbraPodcast) (Link updated 6/1/2023) This show is brought to you by Bridge to Becoming, LLC. Music is by SoulProdMusic and used with permission. Under the Umbra Podcast logo is by Lo Carter.

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Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

63

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

81

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