Spiritual perspectives in organizational theory are relatively recent approaches to understanding the behaviors of complex organizations. Emerging in the 1990s, the literature on modern organizations, especially in the United States, saw a rise in individuals questioning if they could find meaning and purpose in their work. This study investigated the application of spiritual perspectives on the complex organizations of higher education institutions. Ideas found in pilgrimage were used to explain how higher education administrators, faculty, and leaders used such experiences to advocate organizational behavioral changes. In using a specific pilgrimage, the essence of these journeys provided lessons and different approaches for working with highly complex, often bureaucratic, higher education institutions. Findings contribute additional knowledge on how spirituality and pilgrimage influence individual behavior in complex organizations.