Spirit guide of the day is Praying Mantis! Inner contemplation such as meditation or prayer will be essential for you and should be added to your daily routine even if just for a few minutes each day. You could add to this by trying out some form of martial-arts discipline such as Tai Chi, Chi Gong, or Kung Fu which all possess spiritual and meditative aspects. Spend time out in nature connecting to the world around you with silent stillness. Practice quiet, focused thought and listening to your intuition to know when to move forward or to pull back. Use this time of inner reflection to redirect your energy towards the positive aspects of your life that are moving forward in order to reduce the aspects of your life that may be stagnating or not working for you. The Praying Mantis guide is known for it's connection to the power of stillness. The praying mantis shows us that by quieting our outer mind we can delve into ourselves to draw upon the powerful inner self. In China, Kung Fu creates a martial art centered on the mimicry of animals and has a form based around the Praying mantis that focuses on redirection, trapping techniques, and pressure point attacks. For the Kalihari Bushmen of Africa, the Praying Mantis was a Bushmen with stories similar to those of the Raven for the Northwest Indians and the Coyote of the plains Indians where Praying Mantis would undertaken many adventures. He would, at times, get himself into trouble and hide away where he would sleep and dream of solutions to his problem. This exemplifies the praying mantis's powers of becoming still to search within for our power and knowledge. Mantis comes from the Greek word "Prophet" which shows us that we can find our answers if we align ourselves correctly. Praying mantis reminds us to wait for the opportune moment to use your knowledge to your advantage. People who connect with Praying Mantis hold great importance to their routine meditation practices and have the ability to become extremely still in order to focus inwards and draw from their own internal spirit. These individuals are patience, centered, and perceptive. They can hold their focus for long amounts of time and are known for their fluid and graceful movements.

Praying Mantis, Mantodea, is a carnivorous invertebrate that can live up to a year in the wild. They are a member of the Mantis family which includes over 2,000 species. They are most closely related to termites and cockroaches. Praying mantis originated in Europe, however, they were brought to the Americas where they now can be found throughout the United States. Even so, the most exotic and numerous of Mantis species can only be found in tropical forests of Africa, Asia, and South America. These insects are known for their triangular heads featuring large, compound eyes on a flexible neck as well as elongated bodies with enlarged forelegs that can fold down into their iconic praying position. They also possess three small simple eyes along with their larger eyes and their next is flexible enough to rotate almost 180 degrees. They are made up of three sections in their thorax: a prothorax, mesothorax, and metathorax. These portions are elongated with the prothorax being able to articulate in a wide range of motions while still keeping the rest of the body completely still. Their forelegs, or Raptorial legs, are adapted for instant grab and snatch motions including spines to better hold their prey still. It is dependent on species whether a mantis will have wings and are loosely divided into wingless, short-winged, vestigial-winged, or long-winged categories. If they do possess wings, they are a outer pair of narrow, leathery wings which work as shields for their inner, clear wings meant for flight. These creatures are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. The diet of a praying mantis consists of just about anything small enough that comes into reach of their ambush style hunting. They have been known to eat crickets and moths as well as hummingbirds and even other mantises. Some species contain a gut that fills the entire length of the insect and enables them to store prey for later digestion. Their ambush technique comes in handing with their ability to stay completely still for long amounts of time camouflaged into their environment. Mantis species use a variety of types of camouflage from the green of the Praying mantis to more exotic species such as the Orchid mantis, leaf-like Ghost Mantis, or alien-looking Devil's Flow Mantis. Praying mantis will even show a rocking behavior that helps to mimic the sway of wind-blown leaves or branches. Praying Mantis will often breed during autumn in temperate climates, although in tropical areas they can breed throughout the entire year. After breeding or even during breeding, the female sometimes decides to dine on her own mate. The male possess a secondary in their rear that enables them to continue mating with the female even as they are eaten alive. This behavior ensures that the female will have enough nutrients. She will lay between 10 and 400 eggs that are deposited into a frothy mass created by glands in her abdomen. The froth will then hardened into a protective cocoon called an ootheca. These will be attached to various areas depending on the species from wrapping them around plants, buried in the ground, or simply adhered to flat surfaces. While some Mantises will leave the ootheca alone, there are others such as those from the bark and ground mantis families in which the female will stay and guard her eggs. Uniquely, the Brunner's stick mantis found in southern United States possesses only females which reproduce without the need of a male. After hatching, the nymphs often seem much like ants until it has gone through approximately 5 to 10 molts depending on the species. After the final molt, they become a fully grown adult Mantis.