diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go b/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go
index 8dedf9a..b393216 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/data_navigator.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package yqlib
 
 import (
 	"strconv"
-	"strings"
 
 	errors "github.com/pkg/errors"
 	yaml "gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
@@ -70,7 +69,7 @@ func (n *navigator) recurse(value *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pathSt
 		return n.recurseMap(value, head, tail, pathStack)
 	case yaml.SequenceNode:
 		log.Debug("its a sequence of %v things!", len(value.Content))
-		if head == "*" || head == "**" || strings.Contains(head, "==") {
+		if n.navigationStrategy.GetPathParser().IsPathExpression(head) {
 			return n.splatArray(value, head, tail, pathStack)
 		} else if head == "+" {
 			return n.appendArray(value, head, tail, pathStack)
@@ -117,7 +116,7 @@ func (n *navigator) recurseMap(value *yaml.Node, head string, tail []string, pat
 		return errorVisiting
 	}
 
-	if traversedEntry || head == "*" || head == "**" || !n.navigationStrategy.AutoCreateMap(NewNodeContext(value, head, tail, pathStack)) {
+	if traversedEntry || n.navigationStrategy.GetPathParser().IsPathExpression(head) || !n.navigationStrategy.AutoCreateMap(NewNodeContext(value, head, tail, pathStack)) {
 		return nil
 	}
 
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/delete_navigation_strategy.go b/pkg/yqlib/delete_navigation_strategy.go
index fc83c9e..becad83 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/delete_navigation_strategy.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/delete_navigation_strategy.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ func DeleteNavigationStrategy(pathElementToDelete string) NavigationStrategy {
 	parser := NewPathParser()
 	return &NavigationStrategyImpl{
 		visitedNodes: []*NodeContext{},
+		pathParser:   parser,
 		followAlias: func(nodeContext NodeContext) bool {
 			return false
 		},
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/filter_matching_node_navigation_strategy.go b/pkg/yqlib/filter_matching_node_navigation_strategy.go
index dde3b8a..ad4ede0 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/filter_matching_node_navigation_strategy.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/filter_matching_node_navigation_strategy.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package yqlib
 func FilterMatchingNodesNavigationStrategy(value string) NavigationStrategy {
 	return &NavigationStrategyImpl{
 		visitedNodes: []*NodeContext{},
+		pathParser:   NewPathParser(),
 		followAlias: func(nodeContext NodeContext) bool {
 			return true
 		},
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/lib.go b/pkg/yqlib/lib.go
index 108ef3a..196e3dd 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/lib.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/lib.go
@@ -74,7 +74,8 @@ func guessKind(head string, tail []string, guess yaml.Kind) yaml.Kind {
 	if tail[0] == "+" || errorParsingInt == nil {
 		return yaml.SequenceNode
 	}
-	if (tail[0] == "*" || tail[0] == "**" || head == "**") && (guess == yaml.SequenceNode || guess == yaml.MappingNode) {
+	pathParser := NewPathParser()
+	if (pathParser.IsPathExpression(tail[0]) || head == "**") && (guess == yaml.SequenceNode || guess == yaml.MappingNode) {
 		return guess
 	}
 	if guess == yaml.AliasNode {
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/navigation_strategy.go b/pkg/yqlib/navigation_strategy.go
index a5ae1f1..892988a 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/navigation_strategy.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/navigation_strategy.go
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ type NavigationStrategy interface {
 	ShouldTraverse(nodeContext NodeContext, nodeKey string) bool
 	GetVisitedNodes() []*NodeContext
 	DebugVisitedNodes()
+	GetPathParser() PathParser
 }
 
 type NavigationStrategyImpl struct {
@@ -44,6 +45,11 @@ type NavigationStrategyImpl struct {
 	visit              func(nodeContext NodeContext) error
 	shouldVisitExtraFn func(nodeContext NodeContext) bool
 	visitedNodes       []*NodeContext
+	pathParser         PathParser
+}
+
+func (ns *NavigationStrategyImpl) GetPathParser() PathParser {
+	return ns.pathParser
 }
 
 func (ns *NavigationStrategyImpl) GetVisitedNodes() []*NodeContext {
@@ -68,10 +74,8 @@ func (ns *NavigationStrategyImpl) ShouldTraverse(nodeContext NodeContext, nodeKe
 		return false
 	}
 
-	parser := NewPathParser()
-
 	return (nodeKey == "<<" && ns.FollowAlias(nodeContext)) || (nodeKey != "<<" &&
-		parser.MatchesNextPathElement(nodeContext, nodeKey))
+		ns.pathParser.MatchesNextPathElement(nodeContext, nodeKey))
 }
 
 func (ns *NavigationStrategyImpl) shouldVisit(nodeContext NodeContext) bool {
@@ -88,11 +92,10 @@ func (ns *NavigationStrategyImpl) shouldVisit(nodeContext NodeContext) bool {
 
 	nodeKey := fmt.Sprintf("%v", pathStack[len(pathStack)-1])
 	log.Debug("nodeKey: %v, nodeContext.Head: %v", nodeKey, nodeContext.Head)
-	parser := NewPathParser()
 
 	// only visit aliases if its an exact match
 	return ((nodeKey == "<<" && nodeContext.Head == "<<") || (nodeKey != "<<" &&
-		parser.MatchesNextPathElement(nodeContext, nodeKey))) && (ns.shouldVisitExtraFn == nil || ns.shouldVisitExtraFn(nodeContext))
+		ns.pathParser.MatchesNextPathElement(nodeContext, nodeKey))) && (ns.shouldVisitExtraFn == nil || ns.shouldVisitExtraFn(nodeContext))
 }
 
 func (ns *NavigationStrategyImpl) Visit(nodeContext NodeContext) error {
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/path_parser.go b/pkg/yqlib/path_parser.go
index 112d791..3846452 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/path_parser.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/path_parser.go
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 type PathParser interface {
 	ParsePath(path string) []string
 	MatchesNextPathElement(nodeContext NodeContext, nodeKey string) bool
+	IsPathExpression(pathElement string) bool
 }
 
 type pathParser struct{}
@@ -16,6 +17,10 @@ func NewPathParser() PathParser {
 	return &pathParser{}
 }
 
+func (p *pathParser) IsPathExpression(pathElement string) bool {
+	return pathElement == "*" || pathElement == "**" || strings.Contains(pathElement, "==")
+}
+
 /**
  * node: node that we may traverse/visit
  * head: path element expression to match against
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/read_navigation_strategy.go b/pkg/yqlib/read_navigation_strategy.go
index 70ecfb7..4040e50 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/read_navigation_strategy.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/read_navigation_strategy.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package yqlib
 func ReadNavigationStrategy() NavigationStrategy {
 	return &NavigationStrategyImpl{
 		visitedNodes: []*NodeContext{},
+		pathParser:   NewPathParser(),
 		followAlias: func(nodeContext NodeContext) bool {
 			return true
 		},
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/update_navigation_strategy.go b/pkg/yqlib/update_navigation_strategy.go
index e6be8b7..9cb4ac9 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/update_navigation_strategy.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/update_navigation_strategy.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package yqlib
 func UpdateNavigationStrategy(updateCommand UpdateCommand, autoCreate bool) NavigationStrategy {
 	return &NavigationStrategyImpl{
 		visitedNodes: []*NodeContext{},
+		pathParser:   NewPathParser(),
 		followAlias: func(nodeContext NodeContext) bool {
 			return false
 		},