3 Types of Wanderers

Please read How to Wander first.

At different points in your life, you might find yourself wandering for different reasons. One type isn't better than the other, they just indicate different focuses in life. A wanderer might switch between focuses every few years, or a few times a day, depending on how intensively they're wandering.

But wandering always yields loot. This post will help you figure out your current focus so you tailor your wandering accordingly.

1. A NOMAD wanders to collect resources

2. A PILGRIM wanders to find meaning and connection

3. A WIZARD wanders for autonomy and wisdom

Take the Quiz to find out which type of wandering we think you should focus on right now. 👇

Now let's explore each one in depth.

NOMAD

The nomad seeks stability and abundant resources, but may or may not want to stay in one place.

For millions of years, our human ancestors and other wanderer species like elephants, whales, and corvids, have used intuition to explore large territories and gather enough food and fuel to survive.

Inside Industrial Society, where wandering is discouraged, the nomad can no longer move across the map freely collecting berries, water, or meat. Now we must all convert work into currency before we can acquire goods, meaning that Nomadic wandering is often abstract.

The cab driver - before mapping software - was an excellent example of an industrial wanderer, using their intuition and experience to find fares and deliver them as efficiently as possible. Bike messengers too.
Fishing also contains elements of wandering - both commercial and sport - using intuition to meet the fish where they are.
Canners are another modern wanderer. Most usually follow their fixed route, but also branch off looking for new and unclaimed stores of bottles and cans. (Some other canners just wander around and steal other people's bags.)

You don't have to be poor to be a nomad. You might be a well-bankrolled poker player, using intuitive and logical information to move from game to game. Or you might own a landscaping company, and drive around looking for untamed yards that you can video and trim for free, posting the videos on social media.

The nomad goes where the fish are, trusting intuition to take them to the right place at the same time.

Wandering Tactics for Nomads

Work on your likability. This works for everybody, but the Nomad is the most likely to trigger people's defensiveness, because they're on the hunt for resources. Make yourself, friendly, helpful, and presentable, and always keep your ethics up. It's easy to convince yourself people don't matter if you're moving on soon.
Share with people. You know that what you give comes back ten fold, in more ways than one. The stingy nomad builds no bridges, and thus restricts the size of their map. Share what you've got, and notice who reciprocates.
ABC - Always Be Connecting. Try to connect people. Introducing people to each other makes you valuable and gives you social proof. The wise nomad knows that unless you're hunter/gatherer, people are the gatekeepers of resources, and that good relationships will get you much further than scrounging.

There are obviously illegal and immoral ways to gather resources while wandering, but we neither recommend nor condone. Wandering should be a pro-social activity. If it's not, you're breaking the underlying magic and you're inviting bad luck. You don't have to be angel, but when you wander, BE GOOD.

PILGRIM

The pilgrim is often in the most precarious position of all the wanderers, because their need for belonging and purpose makes them susceptible to manipulation and trickery. If you're in a pilgrim phase, be careful that you're able to speak freely and come and go as you wish, before joining any community permanently or temporarily.

Pilgrims often have enough resources to survive, beginning to move up Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and becoming more concerned with belonging and meaning. They are not wandering for food or rent, but for meaning, for connection, for a sense that their life fits into a larger whole.

Pilgrims come from all walks of life and one thing they share is that they are deeply susceptible to being manipulated by religious groups, high-control jobs, and sociopathic 'friends' that don't have their best interests at heart.

Traveling to an ashram, scuba training, or other 'group' experience is pilgrim behavior.
Party-goers are often on the lookout for meaning and connection.
Anywhere people congregate, there's a good chance of finding a group of pilgrims, most of whom are there on purpose, but there's usually a few that got there through wandering.

The pilgrim uses their intuition to seek out like minds. Some wander at night, going from bar to bar looking for love or communion. Others travel to parties believing something important will happen. Others still undertake religious missions, or travel to sacred places. No matter the method, the pilgrim's greatest strength is admitting to themselves that they are looking for belonging.

Wandering Tactics for Pilgrims

Are they listening? Because of the pilgrim's need for purpose and belonging, it's easy to get swept up with the wrong crowd. Always be asking if they're hearing what you have to say, or if they're busy telling you what to think and do. Do you feel charged, or drained by interacting with them? The savvy pilgrim listens to their intuition. Remember, false guru leads you to them. True guru leads you to yourself.
ABC - Always Be Connecting applies here too. Introduce people to each other whenever possible. It will raise your social status, and it'll give you an opportunity to see how these new people interact with each other. What do you learn about them?
Come up with a vehicle for visiting different environments and groups. You need a reason to be there, and a mechanism for deciding where you go next. And most importantly, don't stop looking for new groups once you find some you like!

I'm a licensed NYC guide, and that gives me a reason to stop and stare at buildings, eat at any restaurant I want, and ask stupid questions. Actors have a built-in vehicle for emoting in small rooms and on stages. Uber drivers can learn about the world by interacting with fares. For years, I wanted to write a column called Pew Review, where I visited a different church every Sunday. That's a vehicle for engaging with new communities and it spoke to my desire for belonging.

The wise pilgrim sees every person as an opportunity to connect. But they also recognize when there's not enough connective tissue to make a meaningful bond.

The pilgrim's biggest struggle is belonging. So it can be challenging to know when you should stay, and when you should go. The answer is both. If you aren't doing both, then you're no longer wandering.

WIZARD

The wizard seeks wisdom and autonomy.

The wizard wants to pull back the curtain, not hide behind it.

Some wizards are well-resourced, while others live close to the bone.

The wizard is on a mission. There is something they are pursuing that will not make sense to those around them - at least not yet. But the wizard also knows that they do not know, and they're open to picking up new perspectives and skills. Every wizard has their own tricks, but they can all do things that others cannot. Remember, unless you know how something works, it's hard to tell the difference between magic and technology.

Some wizards chip away at a mystery or a strange skill, gaining some forms of mastery over their environment and themselves.
Others seek to commune with nature and shed the skins of civilization.
Or whisper in the ear of the difference maker.

The wizard starts as a fool, and does not become a wizard until well after they acknowledge as such. The moment of transition comes when the wizard realizes that all big minds understand... we don't know what we don't know, and there will always be more of what we don't understand than what we do.

Wandering Tactics for Wizards

Drink your disagreements. More than the other types, the wizard must confront what they dislike, and learn to metabolize it into their understanding of reality. Experience things you do not want to experience. You have undoubtedly already done this. Now reflect on how your suffering has helped you see yourself and the world around you more clearly.
Follow the white rabbit. Because the wizard loves knowledge, their minds become thick with connections, and they begin to see things that others miss. Synchronicities are frequent, and signs tell you to follow or turn away. Listen to these signals. Appreciate the synchronicities. It shows the gods are on your side... or at least giving you their attention.
Chop it up with other wizards. It's easy for wizards to isolate, but they are people too, and they need communion to stay strong, vital, and good. Find people who laugh and dance and think and spend time with them. It will accelerate your progress, even though it takes you away from your work.

Chase complexity. Don't be afraid of the mess. And know that you cannot see the impact of your actions. You do not have to publish or speak to change the minds of humanity. Remember the Hundredth Monkey phenomenon. Consciousness influences consciousness. All you can do is your dharma.

Final Thought

Not everybody is a wanderer. Most people are Hearth Huggers, and there's nothing wrong with that. But if you feel the pull to live on a bigger map, we hope these distinctions help you understand what you're looking for right now.

Remember, you can and probably will switch focuses throughout your life, and it's not really something you have conscious control over. The best you can do is recognize the pull of your heart, and adapt your wandering tactics to get more of it.

Remember, wandering is revolutionary. You just gotta make it a habit.

Morgan Oxley