"A Product Of Time And Violence..."

Everything I know about praying mantises comes from either firsthand encounters, Wikipedia, or Isabella Rosselini. This week I'm adding Geoffrey Haberman to that list, because his mantis-heavy collection of insect sculptures has forever changed the way I'll appreciate these creatures. They're fiercely naturalistic -- if anything, the bolts that give the joints motion add to this effect rather than take away from it, reminding you how strangely robotic real insects are in their appearance and behavior. Each of his strangely kinetic creations seems too bizarre for our world, but like most of nature's perfect specimens, the mantis is simply a product of time and violence, an evolutionary rebuttal against the demands of its own ever-changing environment.

From one of my other reliable sources, I learned today that "Mantis" is Greek for "prophet" or "fortuneteller". I also learned that young mantises avoid being eaten by mimicking the appearance and walk of ants, which are by all accounts tough and nasty eating.

These details are just the icing on the cake that is the Prince of Swords, whom Hajo Banzhaf and Brigitte Theler describe as "...The intellectual, the eloquent individual, the technocrat, the position-changer." The Prince executes dazzling maneuvers in mid-air, steered by the twin principles of flexibility and accuracy, adapting rapidly so as to constantly gain (and keep) the upper hand. (Did I mention that mantises are able to detect bats' echolocation signals and change their own flight patterns to baffle the signal and avoid detection?)

This sort of speed and focus often come at the expense of more subtle instincts and emotions, and this is a compromise we often see (and usually accept) in our leaders, I'm sorry to say. As Rambo said in First Blood Part II, "In order to survive a war, you have to become war." This pretty much winds up eclipsing peace as an option, and this hole in the Prince's logic is his Achilles heel. Unless he evolves beyond the limitations of his insectile perspective (and he will, if he graduates to the King of Swords), then he will always be an expert warrior or craftsman but never a complete person.

Drawing this card may mean that the time is right for kicking into high gear, expecially in the short term. Keep alert and begin cultivating the discipline that you're bound to need when the action happens -- when everyone else is scrambling for cover, you'll be lopping off heads and effortlessly dodging attacks. As long as you keep reminding yourself that there's more to life than winning and being right all the time, then there's nothing wrong with sharpening your swords (or fore-limbs) and preparing for your moment of truth. [Via]

Previously On Arcanalogue: The Prince of Swords