Book excerpt: The Hour of the Tiger: Facing Our Fears is about the present moment – every moment. It is about facing life and death, fear and love; about facing all the hard issues of life and all the mysterious, deep places of living. Megan McKenna has embraced the image of the tiger and chosen it to represent those of us who face our fears head on or to highlight those of us who turn with the pack and run. The mysterious tiger pushes us to confront the limits of our existence; the threatened extinction of the tiger tells us that we must move to the margins, walk along the edge and approach the gates of mystery so that we can live fully human lives. Through stories, anecdotes and scriptural passages, the author encourages us to “be not afraid,” to take courage and grace in the living of life to its fullest, to lessen the encroachment of fear by knowing and recognizing the possibilities and experiences yet to be embraced.