THE PILGRIM

The burdened traveler is all of us with our roads to travel and loads to bear. Here, he has just come from a narrow bridge into a garden, but his path continues. The image refers to quotes from the Old Testament, Psalms 5:9, “Make thy way straight before my face,” and from the New Testament, Matthew 7:14, “Straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” The bird that flies near him is a psychopomp, or guide for the soul, and looking up at him from the side of the road is a red salamander. The salamander is an ancient alchemical symbol. It was believed to be able to withstand fire and come out intact, like a transforming individual who could go through crises and come out whole.