Stare into the eyes of a preying Praying Mantis: She’ll stare back with the hungry, haunted stillness of a Jazz sax player, hunting that next intergalactic note, the next roller coaster of emotional improvisation, chasing the thirst of music from the thin air of silence, melodies meandering off the edge of meaning into obvious oblivion.

The word mantid – the name for the group of insects the Praying Mantis belongs to – means prophet or seer in Greek. It’s easy to understand how the Greeks came to regal these insects as mystic Mr. Miagi’s chopstixing the daylights out of some flies. 

Praying Mantises look like they’re in deep meditation, almost praying, hence the name. But don’t let their Zen fool you. Their name could just as easily be Preying Mantis.  These girls are ruthless killers – the Uma Thurman’s slicing up samurai swords of the insect kingdom. Native to Europe, they won an evolutionary lottery ticket when Europeans imported them to North America as pest control because they killed everything in their path. 400 years later, and they’re local to every continent save Antarctica, taking the world by storm like a Quentin Tarantino film fest in the late ‘90s.

When you’ve pulled Praying Mantis energy into your life, it’s a sign your life has become crowded with too much activity, business and busyness – so much chaos you can no longer hear the voice of your inner child. In a sense, the Mantis is hunting your hustle or die energy, thirsting for the Curse of the Capitalist, eating your busybody mind and gestating it with a mindful soul of patience. This animal medicine totem is a clear sign it’s time to come back to your truth and remember the essence of living. 

Follow the magic of the Praying Mantis and reclaim peace, quiet, and contemplation. It’s time to slow down, soothe, and look inside in the spirit of mindful reflection. Patience is not a virtue – it’s a mindset. Learn to freeze the fleeting raindrop of time.

The Timeless Contemplation of the Praying Mantis

When you attract Praying Mantis energy, it’s a cosmic reminder that you have the power to adapt to any situation, even if it’s painful. The Praying Mantis is ruthless – yet patient, still, and contemplative. She’s nature’s subtle reminder to seize the moment and meld it into your own with the power of meditative mindfulness. Take a deep breath and adjust your environment, your mind, and your inner Chi to whatever’s needed to bring inner peace to your life. You’ve got this – the moment is yours for the taking.

As a spiritual totem, the praying mantis also encourages introspection and self-awareness. Just as the mantis carefully examines its environment and calculates its actions, we are prompted to delve deep within ourselves, exploring our thoughts, emotions, and intentions. By embracing this practice, we can identify and release any negativity or inner turmoil that may hinder our journey toward inner peace. The Mantis reminds us that true serenity arises from understanding our inner landscapes and making conscious choices that align with our higher selves.

Moreover, the Praying Mantis serves as a symbol of mindfulness and meditation. Its poised and meditative posture reminds us of the power of stillness and focused awareness. By emulating the mantis’s unwavering composure, we can learn to quiet the restless chatter of the mind, achieve mental clarity, and channel our energy toward fostering a tranquil and harmonious state of being. Through regular meditation and mindfulness practices inspired by the Mantis, you can patiently develop a profound sense of calm, resilience, and emotional equilibrium.

Be everything you are by becoming a moment of perfectly distilled time.

Trust Your Instinctual Insectual Gut

The amazing thing about a Praying Mantis is it only has one ear – they listen primarily through their bellies, their guts. It’s this gut intuition that holds true magic to the Mantis’ power as an animal totem. She teaches us to listen with gut instinct – the power of our intuition, not the rambling, jambling ears of our thoughts. 

The only tones a Mantis hears through her belly are high-pitched. This protects her from bats, her main predator, that use echolocation for flying. In the presence of bats, the Mantis’ ability to hear through her belly allows her to simply fall to the ground in order to throw off and confuse the hunt of the bat.

Praying Mantises are blessed with five eyes – two large eyes and three smaller ones. This is why they are traditionally associated with the magic of clairvoyance. 

The Mantis teaches us that intuition is a sensory realm unto itself, rooted in an intricate interplay of instinct, observation, and emotional resonance. Much like the Mantis, our intuition can lead us toward insights and choices that might elude the grasp of rational thought alone. By acknowledging and honing our intuitive faculties, we can tap into a deeper level of understanding and perception, enhancing our ability to navigate the complexities of life with a newfound sensitivity to the world around us.

Praying Mantis and the Opening of Your Third Eye

If Praying Mantis energy has come into your life, celebrate. This is a sign of fortune and fortuitous good luck. You may be being asked to slow down, but the rewards are abundant if you have the patience to accept the stillness of the moment.

As predators, Praying Mantises play an essential role in keeping natural ecosystems healthy and in balance. That’s why ancient civilizations associated them with abundance and bountiful harvests. Praying Mantis energy invites us to open ourselves for opportunities by being open-minded to the form and presence of the gifts life presents us.

Open up, slow down, be patient. Don’t rush to the next moment – be satisfied with what’s before you. With the gentle flow of time, the right opportunity will come. And then you can slice that samurai sword across its jugular like the vicious Uma Thurmon you are. Patience understands the science of time.