It seems at the moment that my best friend is Percy Vere. The only way forward is to take his advice and keep on keeping on!
Of course there are times when one should know when to give up or at least consider the advice that "if you keep doing what you've always done then you will always get what you always got" (reputedly said by Einstein).
A dogged determination does come in useful but can come at a cost in time, effort and often financially. Discrimination is needed when choosing how to act and when.
The astrological signs are that there are big shifts occuring yet again which are prompting each and every one of us to sit up and respond to an inner calling to be more authentic. This generally means going against the norm or the trend and can make us feel like outsiders. This too comes at a cost but being true to oneself always outways the potential losses in the long run.
So, get to know Percy Vere. He is a useful ally in these times!

A leaf
Blown on the wind
Fluttered by my window
Then lifted up in a
Gust
Rose and passed again
Reaching giddying heights as I watched -
My moods were likewise.

I live in the Surrey Heath area which has tracts of sandy heathland much of which has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to the wildlife and fauna there. I have walked across many of the tracks near my house thousands of times and today wondered whether some of the stones may have been trampled to sand by my heavy tread as the years have gone by.
I usually walk past the ancient bronze age barrows which are said to have been created around 3,000 BC. As I pass I always give thanks to the ancestors who would have cared for this land so long ago. Imagining their lives it is hard to believe just how reliant they would have been on the vagaries of the weather resulting in a constant struggle to survive. I consider how their feet would have traversed this land as mine do now albeit with a different purpose.
The weather now however is becoming as much a concern to us as it was all those millenia ago. The constant rains this summer have perhaps prevented the all too frequent seasonal woodland fires here but other areas of the world have not been spared. My thoughts turn to southern Spain where I spent many childhood holidays and to North West America where friends have been affected by wild fires.
The sands of time are constantly shifting and we too find ourselves surrounded by uncertainty. It often seems that the very earth we walk upon is unstable as the political and economic climate heats up almost reflecting the increase in volcanic and earthquake activity alongside global warming.

Recently I have felt that I am trying to fight my way out of a paper bag of my own making. Everything I tried to set up was cancelled last minute or just didn't come together at all. I was beginning to get very frustrated.  Feeling like a rebel without a cause I needed to redirect my energy rather than allow myself to either implode with resentmment or explode with anger.
With Mars moving into Scorpio there is a lot of extra energy available to all of us. It has an intense almost urgent feel to it and will not be satisfied with half measures or insincerity. The Uranus-Pluto square is also tightening again adding a great deal of frustration to the mix. Uranus in Aries wants indidivdual freedom to assert oneself whilst Pluto in Capricorn is bringing up all the dross of goverment and corporate structures to be reexamined. I am expecting the Occupy Movement in some form to be prominent in the news.
Locally there are various protests taking place about the government's plans to develop school playing fields. If you haven't yet signed the petition I suggest contacting
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/school-playing-fields-petition#petition
to do so. If we are to continue to shine at the Olympics in future and to have happier, healthier children we need space where our younger generation can play and take part in sport if they wish to. Not only this but the joy that we all get from green spaces and what a little bit of nature can offer is immeasurable.
So if we are to get out of the paper bags of our own making then it's time to step up to the plate and be heard on whatever level appeals to you. We have the power to change the world for the better and it is time to get real about this!