It appears that some cuttlefish are probably capable of inducing trances in shrimp they prey upon through the production of a corruscating optical display of patterns on their body surface. To see this occur is astonishing. An admittedly exotic water-creature suddenly becomes a trance-inducing optical phenomenon as complex cascades of light flow rhythmically along its body. One can hardly imagine the experience of the shrimp such displays are directed at.

This came to mind while considering the peculiar significance of the act of communication in nature. That emitting sound is for most creatures a risk. There are few allies, and everywhere are predators, enemies and competitors. Some of them probably unknown. It is not trivial that humans commonly kill what they notice. Sound draws attention. And not only from those it may be directed toward.

Of course, when we make signals here, something similar is taking place. And we can see there are many streams of trance-inducing advertising taking place, with light and sound, forms and implications. Even ideas. All written not in ink, but in light. I think we are compelled and informed in the sense of being instructed and enstructured by these transmissions and the strangely not-entirely-human consensus intelligences whose messages comprise the majority of our signalling behavior here.

And our signals are like sounds… sounds with which we hope to discover or encourage allies… but which are being made in a predator’s trap. A trap made specifically to formally analyze their prey — and to elicit and profit from these signals. In this sense, and others worth exploring, what we do here has dangers, opportunities… and repercussions… we should more carefully explore together.

As the shrimp might report, the transcendental light show in the sky is not necessarily god or the space-people. It may be the signal that an advanced predator has discovered us.