#fertile bird eggs

[tetedurfarm]

peep time

[radicalfemimist]

funny how men are the “creators” of life and talk about their sperm being “us”, basically, but as soon as a woman needs or wants an abortion she’s suddenly responsible for creating life

[stumblngrumbl]

i have a bunch of chickens - mostly birds we hatched a few years ago from their mothers' eggs. for a while now i've maintained you should have a minimum of 9-10 hens if you have a rooster (because those bastards are really hard on the hens), and while i did donate the last rooster to a worthy cause (our resident grey fox), we still have the hens

and when you have 18 hens you often have an excess of eggs - these girls are getting older but still will lay an egg every other day, except in the winter when we got down to one egg per day total

but spring is approaching, the days are rapidly getting longer, and the hens are now giving 6 eggs every day, which is 3-5 more than we eat

luckily i have a fellow who loves our eggs and always absolutely insists on overpaying. at first i felt like i was twelve again and my grandmother was giving me money and i felt like i have to say no that's too much and then she gifts it anyways, with jeff i tried to talk him down to my requested price ($5 for chicken eggs, $8 for duck, dozens of course) but he was adamant

today he went far beyond yet again

idk why but he has these super crisp brand new $2 bills, he gave me $50 for a dozen duck and four dozen chicken eggs - almost double what i ask for. i've stopped arguing lol i just take whatever he hands me

[quill-n]

My party's been on the stupid topic of how they both lay eggs and I've recently been cursed with Too Much Knowledge on aarakocra and dragonborn reproductive systems, so .

(the aasimar is Covell—the captain of their old crew. more info on him later *fingerguns*)

real embarrassing on Sybil's 16 intelligence btw, but it's also hilarious

[2024skin]

DNI if u believe the chicken came first

[cheapcheapfaker]

[weaselle]

just the visible ones tho.

unseen are the easter goths

The sack of Rome, August 24th 410 CE, colourised.

Art by Psicochurroz

[nogetron]

Haua Tu’u Taketake, usually shortened to just Haua, is a Rapanui god and chief companion of the creator Make-make. Haua’s epithet of “Chief of the eggs” illustrates his special connection to both the birds of the island and their eggs. Haua was born shortly after creation, when Make-make looked at his own reflection in the sea, with it taking the shape of Haua. The birds that once called Rapanui home had begun to dwindle due to the over hunting of their eggs. So Haua and Make-make drove the birds to the nearby Motu Iti and Motu Nui. The two then taught the islanders the ceremony of the Tangata-Manu selection, in order to keep peace on the island.

The Tangata-Manu ceremony was a contest held by the Rapanui in order to crown a new Tangata-Manu, translated as ‘bird-man’. The island’s priests would select others of great status to be the contestants of the ceremony. These contestants would then choose another person who would be the one to actually participate in the events, these selected people were called Hopu. Each of the contestant’s Hopus would all swim to Motu Nui and race to find the first Sooty Tern egg laid as the birds recently came back from migration. The Hopu who wins in this race calls out in victory as the other Hopu swim back in defeat. The contestant who choose the winning Hopu would then be crowned the Tangata-Manu with his clan gaining sole ownership over that season’s Sooty Tern eggs, along with being treated as especially holy for the next five months. The modern day Easter egg hunts are derived from this tradition.

[robotpanties]

I was thinking self-fertilization in Gabriel’s case but you go!!!! SPIN THAT WHEEL!!!!

ABSHHAAHHA i think im gonna go with your first idea then, but spinning the wheel is always fun... i should make an actual wheel on one of those sites tbh

[greenwitchcrafts]

June 2024 witch guide

Full moon: June 21st

New moon: June 6th

Sabbats: Litha/Summer Solstice- June 20th

June Strawberry Moon

Known as: Aerra Litha, Birth Moon, Blooming Moon, Brachmanoth, Dyad Moon, Egg Laying Moon, Green Corn Moon, Hatching Moon, Hoer Moon, Honey Moon, Lovers Moon, Mead Moon, Moon of Horses, Moon of Making Fat, Partner Moon, Rose Moon & Strong Sun Moon

Element: Earth

Zodiac: Gemini & Cancer

Nature spirits: Sylphs & Zephyrs

Deities: Aine of Knockaine, Bendis, Cerridwen, Green Man, Ishtar, Isis, Neith & Persephone

Animals: Butterfly, frog, monkey & toad

Birds: Peacock & wren

Trees: Maple & Oak

Herbs: Dog grass, meadowsweet, moss, mugwort, parsley, skullcap & vervain

Flowers: Lavender, orchid, tansy & yarrow

Scents: Lavender & lily of the valley

Stones:  Agate, Alexandrite, cat's eye, chrysoberyl, emerald, fluorite, garnet, moonstone, ruby & topaz

Colors: Gold, green, orange & yellow

Energy:  Abundance, balance, change of residence, communication, decision making, education, family relations, full & restful energy, love, marriage, prosperity, positive transformation, prevention, protection, public relations, relationships, responsibility, strength, tides turning, travel & writing

While strawberries certainly are a reddish-pink color and are roundish in shape, the origin of the name “Strawberry Moon” has nothing to do with the Moon’s hue or appearance.

• June's full Moon is typically the last full moon of spring or the first of summer. The June Full Moon will be extraordinary. For the first time since 1985, Full Moon happens precisely on the summer solstice, when the Sun is highest up. Because the Full Moon is always opposite the Sun, this year, you will see that the Moon is 10 widths lower on the horizon than the Sun ever is. 

This “Strawberry Moon” name has been used by Native American Algonquian tribes that live in the northeastern United States as well as the Ojibwe, Dakota, and Lakota peoples to mark the ripening of “June-bearing” strawberries that are ready to be gathered. The Haida term Berries Ripen Moon reflects this as well. As flowers bloom and early fruit ripens, June is a time of great abundance for many.

Litha

Known as: Alban Heruin, Summer Solstice & Whit Sunday

Season: Summer

Element: Fire

Symbols: Besom, fairies, God's eyes, sunflowers & symbols of the sun

Colors: Blue, gold, green, orange, red, tan & yellow

Oils/Incense: Cinnamon, frankincense, heliotrope, lavender, lemon, lily of the valley, mint, musk, myrrh, orange, orange pine, pine, rose, saffron, sandalwood & wisteria

Animals: Cattle, crab, horse & octopus

Birds: Goldfinch, kingfisher, meadowlark, owl, robin & wren

Mythical: Fairies

Stones: Bloodstone, diamond, emerald, jade, lapis lazuli & tiger's eye

Food: Ale, bread, cheese, edible flowers, garden fresh vegetables & fruit, lemons, meade, milk, oranges, pumpernickel bread, summer squash & wine

Herbs/Plants: Anise, basil, betony, cinquefoil, copal, elder, fennel, fern, frankincense, galangal, hemp, ivy, larkspur, lemon, lemon balm, mistletoe, mugwort, mullien, nettle, orange, orpin, plantain, rue, saffron, sandalwood, St.John's wort, thyme, verbena, vervain, wild thyme & ylang-ylang

Flowers: Carnation, chamomile, daisy, heather, heliotrope, honeysuckle, lavender, lily, marigold, orchid, rose, wisteria & yarrow

Trees: Elder, holly, laurel, linden, oak & pine

Goddesses: Amaterasu, Aine, Anahita, Dea, Cerde, Dag, Dana, Eiru, Fenne, Gwydion, Kupala, Mabd, Phoebe, Skhmet & Sul

Gods: Apollo, Baal, Balder, Bel, The Dagda, Donnus, El, The Green Man, Helios, Huon, Jupiter, Llew, Loki, Lugh, Maui, Mithras, Oak/Holly King, Ogmios, Ra, Surya, Thor & Zeus

Issues, Intentions & Powers: Agriculture, changes, divination, ending, fertility, life, light, manifestation, power, purpose, strength, success & unity

Spellwork: Fire & water magick

Activities:

• Charge and cleanse your crystals in the solstice sun

• Make Sun water

• Create crafts with natural elements such as flowers

• Burn a paper with things that no longer serve you or that you are trying to let go

•  Invite friends & family over for a bonfire and/or feast

• Gather & dry herbs for the upcoming year

• Clean, decorate & cleanse your altar with summer symbols

• Brew some sun tea

• Take a ritual bath/shower with flowers

• Make your own sun dial

• Craft a door wreath out of flowers & herbs

• Enjoy some sunrise/sunset yoga

• Volunteer at a food kitchen or animal shelter

• Plant trees (especially ones that may provide fruit or berries to feed the wildlife)

• Watch the sunset & say a blessing to nature

• Make flower infused anointing/spell oils

• Eat fresh fruits & berries

• Participate in a handfasting

• Create shadow art

The history of Litha reveals its deep connections to ancient agricultural societies & their reliance on the sun's power. Celebrated as part of the Wheel of the Year, Litha symbolizes the balance between light & darkness. Throughout history  customs such as bonfires, herb gathering & the construction of sunwheels have marked this festival. Today, Litha continues to be celebrated by various communities, with gatherings at sacred sites & private rituals in natural settings. It serves as a reminder of our connection with nature and the cycles of life.

• The traditions of Litha appear to be borrowed from many cultures. Most ancient cultures celebrated the summer solstice in some way such as the Celts celebrated Litha with hilltop bonfires & dancing. Many people attempted to jump over or through the bonfires for good luck. Other European traditions included setting large wheels on fire & rolling them down a hill into a body of water.

Litha is often associated with Midsummer, a celebration that extends beyond the pagan and Wiccan traditions. Midsummer festivities are observed in many cultures around the world, including Scandinavian countries where it holds a prominent place in their cultural heritage. Midsummer dances, bonfires, & feasts are integral parts of these celebrations, often accompanied by folklore and traditional rituals that honor the sun's energy and the abundance of nature during this time.

The summer solstice is the longest day of the year & in some traditions, Litha is when The Sun(The God) is symbolically at it's peak time of power & the World will soon be ripe to harvest. It is also when The Goddess is pregnant with The God who is to be reborn at Yule.

• In the Northern Hemisphere the Summer Solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its highest and northernmost points in the sky. It marks the start of summer in the northern half of the globe. (In contrast, the June solstice in the Southern Hemisphere is when the Sun is at its lowest point in the sky, marking the start of winter.)

Some also believe the history & spirit of Litha revolve around two deities, The Oak King & The Holly King. In Wiccan and Neo-Pagan traditions, each King rules the Earth for half of the year. From Yule to Litha, the Oak King rules. On Litha, the two battled for the crown and it is then that the Holly King triumphs. The Holly King will rule through fall until Yule, and the cycle will begin again.

Related festivals:

• Vestalia- June 7th -15th

Was a Roman religious festival in honor of Vesta, the goddess of the hearth & the burning continuation of the sacred fire of Rome. It was held from 7–15 June & was reserved as a women's-only event. Domestic & family life in general were represented by the festival of the goddess of the house & of the spirits of the storechamber — Vesta & the Penates .

On the first day of festivities the penus Vestae (sanctum sanctorum of the temple of Vesta which was usually curtained off) was opened for the only time during the year, at which women offered sacrifices. As long as the curtain remained open, mothers could come, barefoot and disheveled, to leave offerings to the goddess in exchange for a blessing to them and their family.

For the last day, the penus Vestae was solemnly closed, the Flaminica Dialis observed mourning & the temple was subjected to a purification called stercoratio: the filth was swept from the temple and carried next by the route called clivus Capitolinus and then into the Tiber.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2024 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

[ventique18]

Briar Valley's low population has me thinking. "What if Fae in general just aren't very fertile? What if they just don't like sex?" But then again they say children are very precious to them and that they are a blessing. Then again Mrs. Zigvolt with her three children in the span of 2~3 fae equivalent years (20-30 years) exists.

So in Disney fashion, it's possible that Fae might adhere to the Chosen Mates trope popular in fae fiction. Lilia has never had any bastard children even though he's travelled all around the world for centuries and is described as rather attractive in-game. Could it be that he's never been interested in romance nor intimacy after (possibly) Raverne and Maleanor? It could be that he's just Aroace of course, but it's also possible that he doesn't want to choose a mate, because Jack did mention in Ace's Groom vignette that soulmates exists in Twisted Wonderland. And we can't forget Maleficia of course. We see that the Draconias might be the last dragons in Twisted Wonderland, yet she's never shown any effort nor interest to save their dying species after her husband's death. We don't know if this applies to all fae in general, but we have one proof at least that dragon fae might bond for life.

I really find the mates trope fitting for them. In biology, while a lot of animals don't really have a concept of monogamy because they need to breed as much as possible, long-lived animals like humans do because it takes a lot of time and energy to raise their young safely. Most birds are also monogamous because eggs need to be guarded as closely as possible. So since Fae are long-lived, some may hatch from eggs, and they value children as wonderful blessings, I think it's safe to assume that they're romantic in nature and value a tightly-knit, loving family like the Zigvolts do.

[jymwahuwu]

cw: yandere, dub-con, non-consensual dream voyeurism, egg laying, hatching, housewife kink, traditional gender ideas, arrogant reader

Hmm, you've been acting like you hate Sunday so much. You have been publicly disagreeing with him. And to be independent, like you can live alone in the universe… You hate the propaganda of taking care of a husband, building a family and raising children. What? That's just outdated traditional thinking, you know. You can work. You can entertain yourself. The vibrator is nice. You are fine, you take care of yourself and don’t need to rely on a man.

Sunday thinks so too. He believes you are. He said, pray for you. Even though he sometimes has to discipline you. Your arrogance is really damaging to his reputation.

Until he usurped Harmony's authority and ascended to "Harmonious Choir" The Great Septimus…

He began to weave the beautiful dream that everyone longs for most in their hearts, and saw that your dream turned out to be about starting a family with Sunday and raising bird babies. You…you turned out to be like this. Why did you lie to yourself, why did you lie to him? In the dream, it was as if you had successfully conceived those eggs and hatched the baby. Sunday is always by your side, telling you to stay at home and take care of the baby birds. You pouted, but your eyes were gleaming with joy.

So dishonest of you.

Sunday fills your dreams more "perfectly". The leader of the oak family in the dream took action. Your vagina is filled with hot, fertile seed. You sighed happily, eyes rolling upwards in excitement. Your abdomen is swollen with eggs and you are limping. There is no vacant time, there is always a need for conception.

After waking up, you were so flustered and embarrassed…and you learned the news that Sunday was released.

He will discuss this with you.

[grison-in-space]

I'm sorry? Pigeons have to coo to ovulate?

okay, okay, I left this one out in the tags without elaborating the other day and you were not the only person who asked-- @nanavn and @corvus--caurinus were also curious. I did not have a ton of time yesterday when my brain was not leaking out my ears, so here I am today.

First, I apparently misremembered my grad school teachings: the best-documented case study of doves being required to hear their own coo in order to ovulate is that of the ring or Barbary dove (Streptopelia risoria), not the rock dove which gave rise to our domestic pigeons (Columba livia). They look like this:

They're the domestic doves you see sometimes that aren't domestic pigeons.

But yes, I was completely serious: hens need to very specifically hear their own nest coo to ovulate. The way it works is this: these doves have a very specific courtship pattern, where courting males at different stages of the nesting process perform first a "bow" coo, then a nest coo. Then the hen makes a nest coo back, and the pair goes on to build a nest together in which the hen will lay fertile eggs.

If you prevent the hen from producing this coo--and the first paper I've linked does this in several different ways with both neural lesions and also mechanical blocks of the synrinx--she will not ovulate. Then Dr. Cheng tried rescuing the effect for doves who could hear but not produce their own coos by playing back recordings of devocalized doves' own nest coos, recordings of other hen's nest coos, recordings of male nest coos (their own males, I think, for preference?) and no recordings at all. Hen nest coo recordings, especially the recordings of the hens themselves, were enough to rescue ovulation effect... but deafened hens who could, themselves produce nest coos weren't able to make ovulation happen half the time even when the male was right there. The male nest coo and his mating display is really important, because his coo stimulates the female to make her nest coo, and that's where ovulation starts.

In 2003, a little over a decade later, Dr. Cheng wrote a whole book chapter about auditory self-stimulation as a phenomenon in neuroendocrine shifts. It makes for pretty interesting reading! I'm going to really enjoy it this afternoon. Stimulated ovulation is actually a pretty common phenomenon in animals--often it makes more sense to only bother ovulating if you know there's a partner around to use whatever eggs you yield up--but this one is one of the most interesting and elaborate systems out there, and definitely the one that offers the most options to a given female dove to potentially consciously control her reproductive output.

But grison, you might ask, what about the doves outside my window? Is this just a function of this one dove species, or are lots of doves doing this to make ovulation happen? So I went looking to find out whether anyone has checked. The thing is that the heyday of pigeon behavioral research has faded somewhat in the intervening decades since Dr. Cheng's discovery, so there's not as much as I might hope where people sat down to investigate the question. I did, however, find a neat study on Columba livia demonstrating that auditory stimulation is more important to courtship displays and success than visual displays are, although of course the multisensory courtship is stronger than either sensory modality alone. So yeah, the cooing back and forth really loudly is part of a display that is functionally necessary for successfully producing offspring, and the auditory component is important for basically every pigeon that has been studied in this respect (albeit that number is pitifully small).

I also found this really interesting review of known uses of birdsong to set internal emotional states in birds (either for the self or for a partner or flockmates) that I want to look into with more detail, plus this really thoughtful review from Dr. Donna Maney talking about how "incentive salience" can use learning and experience to make certain cues bring up neuroendocrine changes in state over time, which helps individuals control how their endocrine system is reacting to stimuli in the world they've been shaped by. Clearly I have some reading to do...

[esoteric-chaos]

Spring Equinox Masterpost- Spoonie Witch Friendly

Art Credit: Anastasia Catris

The Spring Equinox, also called the Vernal Equinox or Ostara, is usually celebrated between the 21st of March in the Northern Hemisphere (In the Southern Hemisphere around September 20th or 21st)

In 2024, Ostara and the Spring Equinox land in the Northern Hemisphere on Monday, March 19th.

The Spring Equinox celebrates the arrival of spring. Celebrating balance, growth, and new beginnings as Winter has finally ended.

Spring Equinox Correspondances

Colours

Light Green

Lavender

Sunny Yellow

Light Blue

Pastel Pink

White

Herbal

Lemongrass

Daffodils

Tulips

Violets

Apple Tree

Cherry Blossom

Primrose

Birch tree

Hyacinths

Dandelion

Garlic

Ash tree

Jasmine

Edibles

Honey

Salad greens

Spring veggies

Fresh berries

Mead

Herbs

Eggs

Seeds

Bread

Edible flowers

Quiches

Custards

Maple

Animals

Hares

Baby Chicks

Snakes

Robins

Bees

Butterflies

Phoenix

Ram

Crystals

Fluorite

Moonstone

Silver

Aquamarine

Clear Quartz

Amazonite

Symbols

Bonfires

Flowers

Rabbits

Eggs

Seeds

Baskets

Flowering or Tree Buds

Lambs

Birds

Spiritual meanings

Purification

Cleansing (removal of stagnant energy)

Growth

Transition

Motivation

Balance

Birth

Good fortune

Kindness

Joy

Fertility

Scents

Coconut

Citrus

Floral scents (rose, lilac, jasmine, etc)

Herbal scents (rosemary, basil, mint, etc)

Gods / Goddesses / Spirits

Eostre –  (Anglo-Saxon)

Aphrodite - (Greek)

Gaia - (Celtic)

Gaea - (Greek)

Venus - (Roman)

Athena - (Greek)

Aurora - (Roman)

Eos - (Greek)

Isis – (Egyptian)

Freya - (Norse) 

Persephone - (greek)

Cybele - (Roman)

The Green Man - (Celtic)

Odin – (Norse) 

Osiris – (Egyptian)

Pan – (Greek)

Thoth – (Egyptian)

Adonis – (Greek)

Apollon –  (Greek)

Apollo - (Roman)

Need some suggestions to celebrate? I've got you covered.

High energy celebrations and ritual

Deep cleaning of the hearth and home

Nature hikes

Visiting farmers markets

Making preserves

Create a fae garden

Create a seasonal altar

Abundance/Prosperity ritual

New beginnings ritual

Low energy celebrations 

Wear pastels

Create flower crowns

Light a candle with scent correspondence

No spoon celebrations 

Opening a window

Journaling Prompts

Keeping hydrated

Drink floral tea

Rest

How you celebrate the holiday does not matter. You can choose to do any activity that feels right. These are only suggestions and remember that you're enough no matter what.

Also please note some stuff is UPG. A great book is Year of the Witch by Temperance Alden for honouring the celebrations and if you wanted to work more seasonally. It's not Wiccan-based and has plenty of resources for every witch.

Feel free to post how you celebrate in the comments or reblogs!

Want to see more of my posts? Check out my Wheel of the Year Masterpost or my Main Masterpost.