Reaching Beyond Limitations

Stephen Hawking

Early in my astrology classes, we learned in working with a birth chart, that people would be afflicted with a weakness and how to locate these.  Despite some very clear weakness, not everyone would display the "disability."  Why?  Some people naturally overcome their barriers better than others.    All individuals do possess the ability to fly over the hurdles life can throw their way.

Helen Keller was less than two when she fell ill with a fever and as a result lost her ability to hear and see. "Sometimes," she wrote, "I stood between two persons who were conversing and touched their lips. I could not understand, and was vexed. I moved my lips and gesticulated frantically without result. This made me so angry at times that I kicked and screamed until I was exhausted."  The loss left her painfully enraged.

Helen Keller not only proved she could communicate in a world where sight and sound are important, she thrived in it.  She proved that others could also have the freedom to be extraordinary despite what might be viewed as great disabilities.  Helen Keller traveled all over the world speaking on civil rights, human dignity, women's suffrage and world peace.  She was, a great communicator.

Stephen Hawkings started suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease in college.  Despite becoming a quadrapalegic, he is now considered one of the greatest astrophysisists.  Barely able to move, he writes by moving only his index finger to control a speech synthesizer and word processor.  Despite this overwhelming disability he has helped the world expand knowledge and insight.  He may be viewed as trapped in a body, but his spectacular mind comes through all obstacles and seems very attuned to the very movements of the whole universe. 

There are many examples of extraordinary people with great achievements that had, what we might consider, profound disabilities.  Beetoven, despite being completly deaf at the time, composed the Moonlight Sonota.  Evelyn Glennie is also a spectacular example of overcoming what appears to others as a huge barrier.  She is one of the world's most renowned solo percussionists who has performed with many top orchestras, released 13 albums, and won a Grammy.  She is profoundly deaf. Despite deafness, these people create beautiful music for us to hear!  What an opposing outcome of a barrier this seems!  

Continuing with the astrology lesson, I learned that once a person overcame their great barrier or barriers, they would be releasing their greatest inner talents!  A person who stutters and is shy, would overcome this and become a great communicator.  A deaf person has the potential to make beautiful music.  Someone who can hardly move can express the greatest wonders and movements of the universe.  A person who is deaf and blind can light the way for others like herself.  

So I wonder what can hold me back with my weaknesses.  Compared to some, my weaknesses seem light. Perhaps having nothing in the way except oneself is the greatest hurdle of all.