Termites build extraordinary crystalline palaces, replete with vaulted arches. Before they begin to build, however, they swarm around in a seemingly random fashion. Each termite rushes around, pushing a tiny pellet in front of it. The pace of movement becomes more and more frenetic, but still with no apparent purpose or direction to the movement.  

Then, suddenly, there is an almost audible “click”… And, now, everything changes. Each movement becomes supremely purposeful. No wasted motion. What has happened? It is almost as if the entire termite colony is caught up in random, increasingly frenetic and purposeless movement until suddenly, at some invisible level, the invisible “pellets” join together to create an invisible thought-form of “termite palace”.  It is almost as if there is now a shared, invisible “image” that starts to guide every movement of the termites.

Instead of frenetic random movement, each termite seems to know exactly what to do next. One termite pushes its pellet here; another termite pushes its pellet right next to the first pellet, like lining up two tiny bricks. And another… And another….

Right before your eyes, an elaborate termite “palace” appears, rapidly growing upward, as the pellets are swiftly pushed into place. Two teams of termites work on either side to build an arch, stacking pellets upon pellets…. Before long, a termite drops the “keystone pellet” into place. Then another arch is formed…. And then, another.

In short order, arising out of chaos, the crystalline palace is complete!