Walking with Fear: A Sacred Companion
"Let fear be part of the story, but never the one who writes it." - B. Littleton
Original photograph by B. Littleton
Fear is not the enemy. It's the companion we never invited, but who often arrives right on time. It walks with us, not to block the path, but to ask: Are you sure you’re ready? Are you awake to what’s at stake?
We are often told to overcome fear, push past it, conquer it. But what if fear is not something to defeat, but something to listen to? What if fear is trying to guide us, not stop us, but slow us down just enough to feel the gravity of a choice, the weight of a calling, the edge of becoming?
Fear sharpens our senses. It makes us alert, aware, and deeply alive. But when we confuse its voice with doom or shame, we miss the gift. Because fear isn’t just danger. It’s a signal. A protector. A wise elder in the room saying, This matters. Pay attention.
John O’Donohue writes,
“Fear is the friction in the mind that keeps us alert. But the tragedy is that often we allow fear to become a prison that locks away possibility.”
To walk with fear is to walk in relationship. It means letting fear speak, but not letting it drive. It means holding hands with your uncertainty and saying, I hear you, and I’m still moving forward. Not recklessly, not in denial, but in reverence.
Julia Cameron reminds us,
“Leap, and the net will appear. But first, you may have to tremble at the edge.”
Walking with fear will not always feel brave. Sometimes it looks like one slow step. Sometimes it’s just staying present when you’d rather run. But over time, you begin to trust that fear doesn’t come to punish you. It comes to protect you from forgetting how much your life matters.
And when you treat it as a teacher instead of a tyrant, it softens. It stops screaming. It sits beside you and says, Let’s do this together.
Joni Mitchell said it with her usual clarity,
“I’m frightened by the devil, and I’m drawn to those that ain’t afraid.”
And maybe that’s the point. We are not meant to be fearless. We are meant to be real. Just to keep walking, eyes wide open, heart cracked but available, hand in hand with whatever shows up.
Let fear walk with you and share its wisdom. Let fear be part of a team for clarity, discernment, choice, and self-worth. Let fear be part of the story, but never the one who writes it.
Narrative Essay by Bren Littleton
Original photograph by B. Littleton
Tin Flea Press c. 2025