Over The Years,

I have seen many themes for tattoos,

 dolphins, bluebirds, butterflies and various animals to name just a few, but I never knew how popular tattoos of praying mantis were, 

 until now,

 according to this article,

 'due to its physical characteristics and ancient history, the praying mantis has assumed great spiritual significance in cultures around the world',

 I had never really thought of them in that way,

 for myself they were just another interesting insect,

it appears, again from the article, 'People wear the image of the praying mantis to remind themselves of their place in the universe. They do not delude themselves into believing that they can be the top predator in the jungle—that role is reserved for just a few. Instead, they capitalise on the tools they have at hand, and do the best they can to achieve a state of grace', so there you have it, the next time you see someone with a praying mantis tattoo you know what it means.