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 Praying Mantis – Gottesanbeterin
 

At the beach the other day, I get to meet a wondrous creature.  Bending down, I wonder who is this two-inch-long insect at my bare feet. Folded wings like beautiful long skirt, almost like a big cricket, but different. I feel I should know her, but cannot pin her name. Mesmerized by the slow movements of her beige-grey body – well camouflaged in the sand – I let myself be pulled into her universe for a seemingly long time. For maybe 45 minutes I am in another world.  As soon as I crouch down beside her, she is acutely interested, approaching me in deliberate slow motion, fearlessly. What does she see? Her big otherworldly eyes gaze at me, the stranger, both curiously and authoritatively. Her rectangular head with its long antennae sits on a long neck and moves freely which gives her such a sophisticated air of aliveness. Her two long front legs are up in the air. The whole slender and delicate body moves with breathtaking grace. I am in awe.
 

The four hind legs take deliberate steps – what elegant agility. Her almost translucent appearance makes her nearly invisible. How did I even get to notice her in the first place? By now, I am in a deep trance, I am in her spell. I let her climb up my foot and lower leg, but the sharp spikes on her forelegs grasp tight and I decide to put her down on the sand again. An ocean wave surprises us and I wonder if she had been roughed up before, sand on her wings. I get a mound of seaweed a bit further from the water and put her next to it. Immediately she climbs up, graceful as ever.


I call her my empress, meine Kaiserin. Later back at home, I try to find out to what order my empress belongs. Finally, it hits me: a Praying Mantis, of course! Wow. In German her name is Gottesanbeterin – a female praying to a deity. I did not know that they live also on beaches. My enchanting empress is a master in camouflage. What a miracle that I got to meet this mysterious creature close up. She will be my guide, bringing me good luck. Praying Mantis has inspired much folklore and tales, and of course the famous Chinese stiles of Praying Mantis Martial Arts. I bow when leaving leave her, taking with me Stillness, as well as stillness in motion, clarity in action.



More facts here:

Who of you has personally encountered a Praying Mantis?

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