The Pilgrim and the Unknown

The pilgrim is driven by an inner urge to step into uncertainty and darkness, guided by intuition and a true heart.

Recently, I had a chance to spend a few days with a group of pilgrims, many of whom I hadn't met before, and also who didn't know each other. But what we had in common was pilgrimage. Together we discussed words and themes that related to pilgrimage, and the words "darkness", "fear" and "the unknown" came up.

At the heart of every pilgrimage lies an irresistible pull towards the unknown. The archetype of the pilgrim, unlike the tourist who arguably travels primarily to see the already discovered, the pilgrim is driven by an inner urge to step into uncertainty and darkness, guided by intuition and a true heart.

In a piece I wrote for the Idler a few years ago I suggested that the Pilgrim resonates with the archetype of the Fool in the Tarot, a joyous figure depicted stepping blissfully off the edge of a cliff. The Fool symbolises innocence, courage, and openness—qualities essential for any pilgrim. Both the Fool and the Pilgrim share trust in life’s ability to support them in uncertainty. While the cliff edge represents danger, the Fool’s happy demeanour captures the pilgrim’s inherent optimism and trust in the transformative power of the unknown.

The pilgrim's relationship with darkness and fear, therefore, is to engage with it. The pilgrim is  also drawn towards scepticism and spiritual doubt, not out of nihilism, but because these represent uncharted territories within the human spirit. The unknown becomes a sacred space where pilgrims confront their fears and uncertainties, enabling their souls and bodies to evolve and transform.

Body awareness may also be implicated here because true embodiment requires engaging directly with what we instinctively avoid. Fear, darkness, and uncertainty often reside in our unconscious selves—experienced somatically rather than intellectually. Body awareness is essentially an invitation to listen deeply, to feel fully, and to inhabit our physical and emotional selves completely. The dark and unknown represent parts of us not yet integrated or illuminated. When we engage these aspects with heightened body awareness, we enable authentic confrontation with our suppressed fears, doubts, and uncertainties. In doing so, we move beyond abstract thinking, grounding ourselves in a visceral experience that catalyses genuine transformation.

Tourists, however curious, usually engage with destinations through a lens of safety, familiarity, and external observation, rather than the less chartered inner journey. At a most simplistic level, they may have read about a place (or heard about it from others), gone there, taken a photo, posted it, and moved on. One definition of a pilgrim is someone who journeys towards an unknown destination with a true heart. The true heart embodies authenticity, sincerity and our deepest intuition, essential companions when navigating the unknown. Pilgrims do not simply traverse physical landscapes, but also the mysterious landscape of the soul.

In our own journeys, embracing the pilgrim archetype can inspire us to move courageously towards our personal unknowns, recognising that it is precisely in darkness and uncertainty that our greatest potential for evolution lies. As we carry forward the Fool’s rose of hope and companionship (as he is pictured with in the Tarot), may we all find the bravery to walk boldly into the unknown, trusting in the transformative power of darkness and the light it inevitably reveals within us.

by Guy Hayward