Walking-With Place: Relational Movement and the Subtle Narratives of Space
Walking is a universal activity, fundamental to how we engage with our surroundings. Yet, most of us tend to think of walking as a straightforward task—a means to get from point A to point B. In our daily lives, walking is often framed in terms of directionality and intention: walking through a park, to the store, from work, or around a neighborhood. This orientation toward destinations suggests that the act of walking is merely a bridge, connecting one moment or place with another. What often gets left behind in this framework is the relationship between the walker and the place itself. Walking, as many of us experience it, is a task driven by our own agency and goals, reducing the landscape to something that must be navigated or overcome.
However, there is an alternative perspective on movement within space, one that shifts from walking through to walking with place. This distinction might seem subtle, but it carries profound implications for how we perceive our environment, our communities, and ourselves. Walking-with, as a concept, suggests a kind of partnership with place, one that acknowledges its agency and narratives. It is a mode of walking that emphasizes relationality over directionality, placing us in conversation with the land, the wind, the non-human beings, and the unspoken stories of the spaces we inhabit.
Walking Through: The Predetermined Path
To understand the concept of walking-with, it is useful to begin with the more common notion of walking through. Walking, in its usual form, is guided by intention. This intention often arises from a need or goal—whether practical or recreational—and tends to frame the environment as a backdrop for human activity. In walking through, we assert our presence over the landscape, and the emphasis lies on our own agency as we choose paths, make decisions, and impose timelines on our experience.
In this framework, place becomes a passive element. It is something to be traversed, used, and navigated. For example, when walking to work or the store, the focus is often on efficiency—choosing the quickest route or the easiest terrain. When hiking a trail, the intention might be to enjoy the scenery, reach a viewpoint, or complete a physical challenge. In each case, the land or environment is objectified, becoming either a setting for human action or a resource for aesthetic or physical pleasure.
In walking through, the walker retains control over the experience, and place is largely inert, waiting to be conquered or appreciated. This approach reflects a broader cultural tendency to prioritize human agency over the agency of the non-human world. It suggests that landscapes, animals, weather patterns, and other elements of place are secondary to our intentions and can be shaped, ignored, or utilized as needed.
Walking-With: Relationality and Surrendering Agency
In contrast, walking-with requires a fundamental shift in perspective. Rather than approaching the landscape with predetermined goals and human-centric intentions, walking-with invites us to surrender some of our agency to place itself. It emphasizes relationality—the idea that we are not the sole agents in the landscape, but rather participants in a web of relationships that includes the land, the weather, the animals, and the unseen forces at play. This relationality reframes the act of walking as a form of co-creation, where both the human and the more-than-human world shape the experience.
To walk-with place is to allow the agency of the landscape to influence your movements and decisions. This might mean following the path of a stream rather than a marked trail, pausing to listen to the song of a bird, or adjusting your pace to match the rhythm of the wind. In walking-with, the emphasis is on being attuned to the subtle narratives of place, rather than imposing your own story upon it. It is an act of humility and reciprocity, where the walker becomes a listener, a learner, and a collaborator with the landscape.
One of the key elements of walking-with is the idea of giving over agency to something other than yourself. This could be the wind, which pushes you in unexpected directions, or animal tracks, which lead you off the beaten path. It could be the sound of a river, drawing you closer to its banks, or the sudden shift in light as a cloud passes overhead, inviting you to pause and take in the scene. By relinquishing control over the experience, walking-with allows us to engage with the world in a more open, responsive, and relational way. We become participants in the ongoing life of the landscape, rather than observers or controllers.
The Nuances and Narratives of Place
One of the most profound aspects of walking-with is the recognition of place as a living entity with its own stories, rhythms, and relationships. When we walk-with, we become attuned to the nuances of place—the small details that often go unnoticed when we are focused solely on reaching a destination. These nuances might include the specific texture of the ground beneath our feet, the changing scent of the air as we move through different ecosystems, or the subtle shifts in temperature as we pass through shaded and sunlit areas.
Walking-with encourages us to pay attention not only to the physical characteristics of the landscape but also to the invisible threads of relationship that connect its inhabitants. This might include the interdependence between plants and pollinators, the migration patterns of birds, or the way wind and water shape the contours of the land over time. When we walk-with, we open ourselves to the possibility that we are not separate from these relationships but are, in fact, deeply embedded within them.
In this sense, walking-with is not just about movement through space; it is about being in tune with the ongoing life of place. It invites us to listen to the land, to observe the interactions between its inhabitants, and to recognize that place is not a static backdrop but a dynamic, living entity. By walking-with, we begin to see ourselves as part of the broader community of beings that make up the landscape, rather than as outsiders who merely pass through.
Being Other Than Ourselves: The Role of Empathy and Imagination
A key component of walking-with is the ability to experience the world from a perspective other than our own. This requires both empathy and imagination—empathy in the sense of feeling with the land and its inhabitants, and imagination in the sense of envisioning how the world might be experienced by beings other than ourselves. Walking-with encourages us to step outside of our human-centered perspective and to consider how the landscape might be perceived by the birds, the trees, the wind, or even the stones beneath our feet.
This act of imaginative empathy allows us to engage with place in a more profound and meaningful way. It invites us to consider the needs, desires, and experiences of the non-human world, and to recognize that our actions and movements within space have an impact on the broader community of beings. In walking-with, we cultivate a sense of responsibility and care for the land, as we become more aware of the delicate balance of relationships that sustain life.
Walking-with also invites us to embrace a sense of wonder and curiosity. When we relinquish our own agenda and allow the agency of place to guide us, we open ourselves to the unexpected—to the possibility of encountering something new or seeing the familiar in a different light. This openness to surprise and discovery is a central aspect of walking-with, as it encourages us to remain present and attentive to the unfolding stories of place.
Experiencing Subtle Relationships
At the heart of walking-with is an awareness of the subtle relationships that exist between communities of beings—human, animal, plant, and elemental. These relationships are often invisible to the hurried walker, who is focused on reaching a destination or achieving a goal. But for those who walk-with, these relationships come into focus, revealing the intricate web of connections that make up the life of place.
Walking-with allows us to experience these relationships in a tangible way. We might notice the way a particular species of bird nests in a specific tree, or how the wind carries the scent of a nearby field. We might observe the tracks of animals moving through the landscape or feel the way the temperature shifts as we move from one habitat to another. These subtle relationships remind us that place is not a static or isolated entity but is made up of countless interactions between living beings.
In this way, walking-with becomes a practice of attunement—an ongoing process of learning to recognize and respond to the relationships that shape the life of place. It is a practice that requires patience, humility, and a willingness to be shaped by the land as much as we shape it.
Conclusion: Walking as an Act of Belonging
Walking-with place offers a radical reimagining of our relationship to the land. It challenges the notion that we are separate from or in control of the environment and instead invites us to see ourselves as participants in the ongoing life of place. By walking-with, we cultivate a sense of belonging to the land, recognizing that we are part of a larger community of beings whose lives and stories are interconnected.
In a world where speed, efficiency, and human agency are often prioritized, walking-with offers an alternative—one that values slowness, receptivity, and relationality. It is an invitation to move through the world with greater sensitivity and care, to listen to the voices of the land, and to recognize the subtle relationships that sustain life. Ultimately, walking-with reminds us that place is not something we pass through, but something we walk with, in partnership, in conversation, and in community.
