Tourist → Pilgrim

An interview with Mark Nara, by Alexander Illiad

This post is part of an ongoing Q&A series. Thirty questions in total exploring themes of initiation, identity, meaning, and transformation.

Each one stands alone, but together they map a deeper conversation I’ve been guiding for years through Tattoo Pathway.

Rather than polished essays or formal teachings, these responses reflect the way things actually unfold in dialogue.

The first question started with a dream. You can go back to it here if you want to see where this began.

Question 5 (AI):

You’ve said that tattoos can be used as a map. What do you mean by that? How does someone start mapping their story through their tattoos, or beyond them?

Answer (MN):

Let me start with a story.

About ten years ago, I was traveling through Colombia. I’d just arrived. Still in tourist mode, a bit wide-eyed, a bit naïve. I was staying with some friends at first, and they were trying to teach me to pay attention, to be aware of my surroundings. Because they knew I was coming from a different context. They knew I didn’t yet understand where I was and where I was going.

After a couple of weeks, I set off on my own. I ended up in a small fishing village called Santa Marta. Checked into a hostel, dropped my bag, and walked down to the beach with a fellow traveler I’d just met. There were a few people around, but we saw a second beach around the headland. Fewer people. Then we spotted a third beach even further on, just over another track.

So we kept walking.

And that’s when it happened.

On that little goat track between beaches, we were ambushed. A group of masked men—balaclavas, weapons, knives. They surrounded us fast. It was precise. Tactical. They knew exactly what they were doing.

They stripped us down, blindfolded us with our own shirts, tied our hands. Led us off the path and into the bush, up the cliff face. And in that moment, I became incredibly present. I’d been reading The Power of Now¹, and somehow, I remembered the teaching. I didn’t continue to drift into panic or regret. I anchored myself. I stayed in the moment.

Thankfully, we got out. They couldn’t exploit us the way they wanted. We managed to seize a moment, get free, and return to the hostel.

And when we told the woman at reception what happened, she pulled out a map. She circled the area immediately around the hostel. Just a few blocks. Just the first beach. She said, “You don’t go beyond this line. That’s where it’s no longer safe.”

I remember thinking, That would’ve been good to know earlier.

That map, after the fact, completely reoriented how I engaged with where I was and what I was doing there. It gave context. It offered meaning. It forced me to reflect on how oblivious I’d been. How unaware. How unprepared.

That’s what Tattoo pathway’s mapping exercise² is like.

When people come to me with a trail of tattoos, some they love, some they regret, some they’ve just grown distant from. I see a similar thing happening. They’ve walked a path. Maybe they didn’t have a map. Maybe they didn’t know the terrain. But the tattoos are markers. Landmarks. Signs of what they were going through, even if they didn’t know it at the time.

Mapping, then, becomes a process of reflection. Of decoding. Of seeing where you’ve been so you can understand where you are, and decide where you’re going next.

Over the past decade, I’ve developed a full methodology around this. No one I work with begins without going through a mapping process. We create a tattoo map, an itinerary of every mark, what it meant, when it happened, how it felt, and what it still holds.

But that’s just one layer.

There’s also the body map, the terrain itself. The energetic signatures in different locations of the body . The nervous system. The meridian lines. The symbolism of different body regions. Where you place the mark matters just as much as what the mark is.

And beyond that, there are maps of meaning, psychological, emotional, somatic. Each layer offers new insight, like switching lenses on the same landscape.

So mapping becomes more than analysis. It becomes architecture. It becomes orientation. It allows you to see your story not just as scattered memories or random marks but as a landscape you’ve walked and are building on, consciously or not.

And from there, you can decide: What do I build next? How do I create in a way that works with the natural structure, my body, my story, my truth.

so that the result is harmonious. Sustainable. Meaningful, through time.

Because that’s the goal. A tattoo journey (or a life) that makes sense. One that becomes both shelter and temple. A structure you can pass on. A pathway others might walk.

No longer a tourist trail, but a call to the pilgrim.

Subscribe now

¹ The Power of Now.

Eckhart Tolle talks about how most of our suffering comes from living in the past or future, getting caught in thoughts instead of actually being here. The core idea is that when we’re fully present, something shifts. We step out of that mental loop and into a deeper awareness that’s calm, clear, and connected to something greater than just our thinking mind.

If you were working through those ideas in a real, embodied way, even in something extreme like a hostage situation, it’s not about ignoring what’s happening. It’s about feeling everything fully in that moment. You’re not lost in panic about what might happen next or stuck in memories of what just happened. You’re in your body. You’re breathing. You’re noticing. That presence becomes a kind of anchor. It’s not about being passive. It’s actually one of the most alive states you can be in.

² Tattoo pathway’s mapping exercise.

Is a system for understanding and navigating the tattoo journey through three integrated layers: the psychological map, the tattoo map, and the body map. The psychological map reflects a person's inner world—emotions, beliefs, memories, and learned patterns—shaping the reasons behind tattoo choices. The tattoo map is a chronological record of tattoos, capturing the evolution of personal identity through dates, placements, meanings, and life events. The body map views the body as symbolic terrain, where tattoo placement reflects internal transformation and spiritual resonance.

Together, these maps form a holistic framework that connects inner experience with outer expression. Mapping supports self-reflection, intentionality, and deeper insight, allowing tattoos to serve as both markers of change and tools for personal navigation.

Thanks for reading,

MN