What It Really Means If You Keep Seeing Praying Mantises Everywhere

Praying mantises have a long history of spiritual significance, and if you've ever seen one in person, you likely know their poise and grace is something to behold. Here's what to know the next time a praying mantis appears, plus what to do about it.

"He watched a praying mantis trying to catch a cicada and was inspired by the agile moves of the mantis. It is said he then collected praying mantises and took them back to the Shaolin Temple to observe closely, going on to create his own form of kung fu inspired by the mantises' moves," Charles writes in her book Animal Power: 100 Animals To Energize Your Life and Awaken Your Soul.

The praying mantis' slow, calculated movements can serve as a reminder to tap into your own inner stillness and mindfulness, Charles notes. If you're being too hasty with your actions or words, she explains, the praying mantis "teaches you how to use the immense power of stillness to achieve clarity, which can then lead to action."

Praying mantises have a deep connection to the unseen realms, Charles tells mbg. When they appear to you, they can be encouraging you to work with their energy in prayer, meditation, or ancient healing arts to take your practices deeper.

"If you want to sync up with and live by the rhythms and desires of your soul and body—rather than external constructs like alarm clocks and forced work schedules—call upon [the] praying mantis...to help guide you into the state of being," Charles says.

"The praying mantis shows up when it's time to take your spiritual or mindfulness practices deeper, especially if you've been feeling impatient with something in your life," she adds.

She adds that the message praying mantis gives is engaged in prayer, surrender, and divine timing. "Perhaps you wish you had an answer for something right now, or you wish a goal or intention you've set had already come to fruition. The easiest way to encourage patience, especially when you're eager for something to happen or physically manifest, is to surrender the goal in prayer," Charles explains.

From there, Charles recommends a practice to call upon the praying mantis to help in decision making. "This practice should only be worked with when you're trying to make an important decision—when that decision is looming, call upon praying mantis to divinely guide you and clarity and timing," she says.

Charles also recommends an invocation to activate praying mantis medicine, which goes as follows: Dear praying mantis, I am ready to surrender to the rhythms and instructions of the universe in my soul. I ask that you reveal to me how to be in a strong and trusting co-creative relationship with source and power my prayers and reveal any clarity that will illuminate my pathway forward.

"When those two things are combined, it's an extra urging of you to tune into the wisdoms, the guidance, and the intelligence and intuition of your heart space," she explains, adding, "It could also be symbolic of the praying mantis bringing extra healing energies into your life or the situation that you're pondering or seeking deeper guidance on."

After all, we rarely think twice if we see a bird fly by, but a dead bird in front of you almost always makes you pause for a moment. So a dead praying mantis, then, still relates to all the aforementioned themes but really asks us to consider the message more deeply.

According to Charles, it's not uncommon for animals to show up in our dreams, simply as another way to get our attention and relay a message. "They will enter our lives in avenues and ways they feel will serve your highest, greatest earthly good," she explains.

From ladybugs to butterflies—and of course, praying mantises—the world is full of creatures that have important messages for us. And when we're aware of those messages, we're better able to live in tune with, and heed the wisdom of, the Earth.