Praying Mantis Spiritual Meaning & Symbolism

The praying mantis owes its nickname to its front legs, which fold together as if clasped in prayer. Seeing one is considered good luck in many traditions, and having one land on you is treated as a sign of favor from the heavens.

Its courtship can be the stuff of drama: the male, trying to win a mate, will put on an elaborate dance, sometimes culminating with the female munching down her would-be mate. Some scientists think this might help raise stronger offspring with more eggs—though other researchers disagree.

The praying mantis has two big eyes and three smaller ones surrounding them, giving it an eagle-eye view that allows it to see almost instantaneously in all directions. This quick and wide view has made the mantis an ideal harbinger of personal intelligence or heightened intuition.

The mantis has two tiny inner ears, perched just inside its wings. These let it hear ultrasonic bat calls in order to dodge and hide. Certain species even pretend they're flowers or leaves, becoming trick artists of disguise and ambush. The mantis's best defense comes when facing hunters who have outmaneuvered it: it doesn't run away.

It unfolds its limbs and holds its ground. That confidence gives many people a feeling that the praying mantis stands for patience, quiet awareness, powerful intuition.

When you see a praying mantis, it probably means you need to slow down and focus on living in the moment. The praying mantis is a very still creature which observes what's going on around it before moving.

The praying mantis is telling you that you should be observing and living more in the moment. You may not be getting everything you need out of life if you're always rushing through things without paying attention.

Since this insect can lie perfectly still for long periods of time, that's the lesson you should learn: move more slowly and carefully, pay more attention, notice what's going on around you.

Finally, the praying mantis is saying that if you don't take care of your spiritual needs, other parts of your life will suffer too. In other words, if your mind isn't being fed with interesting experiences or nourishing thoughts then eventually other areas will suffer.

If your totem animal is a praying mantis, you know the importance of patience and planning. And while these can be hard lessons for some people, you've mastered them. You can weigh a situation carefully, keep your cool when chaos is swirling around you, and then act decisively once you've analyzed the risks.

You're probably good at meditation or other spiritual practices that let you know things before they happen. Many people who carry a mantis as their totem can become oblivious to the world around them. At these times, they'll often seem rude to outsiders.

Calm environments suit them best.

The praying mantis can be a good power animal to have around when you need to break free from a painful or destructive relationship. This animal's energy can help you identify who is truly trustworthy and devoted in your life, and who deserves to stay close.

Invoke the praying mantis for clarity when you can't see the situation for what it is. Maybe there's something confusing or unhealthy in one of your relationships, and the praying mantis can help you see this. The praying mantis can also give you clarity if you're learning a new intuitive practice and need help understanding it.

If you're dreaming about a mantis right now, it's probably because your subconscious is trying to give you some advice about your current situation in life. But it doesn't always mean the same thing!

A dream mantis is like a little mirror of you! Take a look at what it's doing:

If it's just sitting there and isn't moving much at all, that means you're probably feeling like you need to slow down. Maybe things aren't going as fast or as well as they were before, and the mantis is telling you to "stop pouring energy into causes that won't pay off."

The mantis might be wearing lots of flowers or it might look all soft and fuzzy. That's a sign that someone around you might have dangerous intentions, and that you need to "blend in until the risk passes."

But if the mantis is chasing other bugs, then maybe somebody else is giving you trouble. It could also mean that something you need to do in real life seems way too hard. If that's the case, the mantis is telling you to "reassess" what you need to do.

Finally, if you get bitten by a mantis in your dream, that usually means that you've taken on too much responsibility! But instead of feeling bad about it, try delegating something or getting some extra help.

The praying mantis isn't tied to any formal zodiac system in astrology, but its symbolism closely aligns with the contemplative, Earthy signs of the zodiac. These signs love introspection and analysis. They also value timing and observation. And they prefer these above rushing into action.

Some people take note of the number five. Others, too, see it in the praying mantis's two large eyes and three small ones. This is something that comes up in mystical traditions. The number five is linked to mysticism and a desire for deeper awareness.

If you resonate with the symbolism of the praying mantis, it may signal a need for patience and trust. You might need to be patient about things that involve timing or trying to make an informed decision when you are ready.

The mantis symbolizes patience as a tool, not an escape from needing to exert power. The mantis only moves when it needs to. A key lesson is that you can survive by focusing your energy and standing patiently even though you may sometimes feel like your energy is scattered.

One could interpret the image of the mantis as an invitation to pray or meditate or even just to have a moment of quiet if that's what your practice looks like.

The mantis is telling you that one reason they're successful is they wait for their targets. If they go around looking for trouble, they're going to spend a lot of time wasting time, but if they hide and keep their eyes open and wait until their target comes to them, then they'll be much more efficient. It's telling you that you can use the same approach.

A significant lesson from this image may be an invitation to look carefully at your commitments so that you can balance things in a way that works better for you.

For every source in the world that associates mantises with good luck, there are at least a few more that find them unsettling.

The raised forelegs and stocky body of a mantis resemble those of a praying human — hence the name. The species' slow, deliberate movements suggest patience and vigilance. In many folk traditions, this devotion inspires feelings of reverence and blessing.

But not everyone is as comfortable with that side of mantis symbolism.

In the Ozarks region of the United States during the early 1900s, people just called them Devil's horses — a much more unsettling association.

Read through this shadow lens, and some parts of mantis symbolism seem to shift: Patient devotion becomes destructive passion; courtship shifts from sacrifice to consumption; an emblem for vigilance becomes an emblem for avoidance.

No one's advice says stop looking out for good things when you cross paths with something that feels lucky. Good advice asks you to take these instincts seriously.

If you're hearing mantis symbolism as distrustful or angry rather than reassuring or cautious, let your own reaction carry weight.

Most likely, what you're feeling isn't a flaw but perfectly well attuned to what your soul wants right now.

Before the mantis nymphs are born, their mom has already left something to consider: the ootheca, a hard case made of proteins and tanning agents that surrounds her eggs. The eggs are protected by this case from microorganisms and predators. It also keeps them warm in the winter and helps them survive in all sorts of climates and conditions. Finding one is like a wish—protection, patience, or a reminder to be ready for anything.

A praying mantis changes its colour from time to time based on where it lives, and as its skin hardens after moulting. Because the colour is linked to its environment rather than a fixed trait, traditional readings of mantis colours don't focus on character but instead deal with whether the mantis is appropriately set up for what it needs to do.

In general, a green praying mantis means that an environment is safe and things are in a good state. The usual reading attached to that is the idea of purposeful stillness that can achieve anything it wants.

If a praying mantis is brown, it's sometimes a hint that it's late in the season, which means things are good in a general sense but perhaps require more time before they reach maturity. It's not taken to be a bad sign.

A praying mantis that has just moulted is often pale because its hard outer layer hasn't had time to form. This is obviously part of a process of growth and strength.

One common reading of seeing a pale praying mantis is that there's something about that moment specifically which requires people be extra careful and aware of their surroundings because they're particularly vulnerable right then. This may happen because they've been through quite a lot in getting ready for the opportunity but isn't any indication that anything bad will happen so much as an idea that things need to work out perfectly for success at this point to be assured.

Sometimes someone sees a praying mantis of the wrong colour — for example, finding one on smooth wood rather than plant matter — which can mean they've made an error in placing themselves around important creatures or opportunities. Readings then turn to the questioner themselves: What have they done wrong? Where has their judgement failed?

If you see a praying mantis in your home, especially if it's dark, that means you need to be patient with whatever is happening there. In other cultures, some people believe it would be bad luck to kill a mantis because its posture — as if it is in prayer — would bring bad luck to the person who killed it.

When you see one inside at night, it might mean something you've been keeping in the dark — perhaps a problem or issue that you haven't been talking about — is about to become visible.

Mantises are most commonly seen in late summer. After mating, adult male mantises die soon after. So, if you see a dead mantis inside, it could mean the waiting is over and whatever was bothering you is now resolved.

There's also something called an ootheca (a word from Greek meaning "egg case"). When an ootheca is found near where the mantis died, this might mean that the egg case will overwinter there and hatch in the spring.