Monika Bravo I AM OPtimist
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Things Slipping Through Our Fingers
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Things Slipping Through Our Fingers

Synthesizing the Uncertainty and Collapse of Structures

This piece is a gift as we are in a profound time of delusion, disillusion, dissolution and renewal. With the Moon moving into Cancer today, we are invited to connect deeply with our inner world, with our emotional needs, and with the parts of ourselves that have been waiting to be embraced. As Mars in Cancer stirs action from the heart, this is a moment to step into clarity—not through force, but through synthesis. I hope this finds you at the right time...

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I was born with Saturn in Pisces. Even though it sits in the first few degrees, I carry its energy fully. Right now, we’re all living through the Saturn-Neptune in Pisces cycle, the energy of structures dissolving, of systems that once held things together now slipping through our fingers. This is not a collapse—it’s a revelation. We are seeing what was never stable to begin with. What seemed to define us—our roles, our careers, our identities—is unraveling.

And I have lived this energy all my life.

I was also born with Neptune, the planet that dissolves boundaries, sitting in the 10th house—the house of Saturn, of structures. My life has been a process of dissolving the idea that I need to define myself in relationship to society.

“I am this, I am that.”—No, I am not.

For years, I wrestled with the expectation that I had to fit into a singular category until I arrived at the only answer that felt true: I am a multidisciplinary artist—which is still a definition—but even more than that, I am a polymath.

And this is not something I say to showcase my knowledge of Greek. Polymathia comes from poly (many) and mathematikis (learning).

My path has always been about learning, diving deep into curiosity, and embodying my own wisdom rather than just acquiring it.

MONIKA BRAVO Threshold, sketch, 2025

The Opponent is Not Outside of You

The real strength in dissolution is not in finding an enemy or creating division. This is not Libra, where we look for balance by seeking an opposing perspective.

This is something entirely different.

When structures dissolve, the unconscious fear is to replace them with opposition—us vs. them, right vs. wrong, past vs. future. But dissolution does not seek to argue—it seeks to transform. We are not meant to find an external enemy to blame; we are meant to integrate, to ask:

-What do I take from this?

-What is left when everything else fades?

-This is the way forward: synthesis.

Instead of fighting what is dissolving, we take the essence. We absorb the experience. We move forward with what remains.

-Not everything needs to be saved.

-Not everything needs to be carried into the next cycle.

-And the next cycle, my friends, is a very big reset.

This is the invitation: to step out of the need to define through opposition and instead to define through what remains essential.

-What is inside of you?

-What are your needs?

-Are you taking care of them?


The Mastery of Time

Saturn is the ruler of time—Chronos—the force that structures reality. In Pisces, Saturn does something paradoxical: it dissolves structures, but through time, it teaches us that there is a deeper order—one that cannot be grasped through rigid definitions.

The more I tried to define myself, the more I felt constrained.

The more I let go, the more I understood who I truly was.

This is what the world is experiencing right now.

Saturn is moving toward Neptune in Pisces to their conjunction, a process that will last a whole year until 2026, when they both move into Aries.

We are collectively closing a cycle, and with it, we are experiencing the struggle [challenge] of letting go—of identities, belief systems, and external definitions of success. If you resist, you might be going against your own evolutionary process.

This is a time not only of dissolution but of disillusionment.

We are completely disillusioned with society, and that is part of the deal.

But letting go is not weakness—it is wisdom.

The wisdom of Saturn in Pisces is that non-definition is its own kind of power.

I call these archetypes the magicians. Abundance defines form, my friends!


Readings as Synthesis: A Mirror to the Unconscious

I do a number of astrological and Human Design readings a week, but I don’t call myself either an astrologer or a Human Design reader.

People who are aligned with my frequency find me, and when they do, we engage in something far deeper than just a chart reading.

My readings are not just about astrology or Human Design—they are a direct engagement with the unconscious, an excavation of what is waiting to emerge.

My North Node in Cancer, ruled by my Scorpio Moon in the 9th house, shapes the way I connect. My approach is deeply intuitive, but it is playful—my Venus in Gemini in the 5th house, along with the North Node in the 5th house, brings a natural curiosity and lightness that allows me to connect to the heart of the person I’m reading.

I don’t impose—I invite. I create a space where the unconscious can speak.

With my Moon in Scorpio balsamic to Neptune, I have the ability to dive deep, navigate the unseen, and bring forth what is hidden.

(BTW, Balsamic is a closing aspect where two planets meet at the end of a cycle, merging into a new experience).

The 9th house impact makes my inquiry both expansive and deep, allowing me to see the larger patterns shaping someone’s life.

But I don’t just explore—I synthesize.

A chart reading with me is an act of alchemy.

I ask the right questions, and I like to go deep. And in that dialogue, something happens. The unconscious reveals itself when it is ready to be seen.

My Uranus-Pluto balsamic conjunction in the 7th-8th house has taught me how to hold space for transformation, how to sense the underlying tension between what needs to be integrated and what is ready to be released.

I see myself as both a mirror and a triggering agent, allowing the person I am reading to recognize something within themselves that they may have forgotten.

This is the essence of my Left Angle Cross of Alignment in Human Design—I tune into what is needed. I take a moment to retreat to assess, and if the person is ready and willing, I deliver what is purposeful for their life in a a very caring and nurturing way.

If you are in a moment of transition, and if you feel that something within you is waiting to be revealed, my readings are intense because they are not just about your chart—they are about your evolution thus far.

Some people have said that a session with me feels like 10 hours of therapy in one sitting.

So, would you like me to dive deep into your unconscious and mirror back to you what you already know but have forgotten?


Astrology is a Language, Not a Belief System

Right now, everything feels chaotic. People feel lost, unanchored, like the ground beneath them is constantly shifting. And it is.

We are in the middle of a major transition—personally and collectively.

I always say that astrology is a tool, but it is not a belief system—it is a language.

It doesn’t require faith, only curiosity. It is a way to recognize patterns, cycles, timing, and archetypes.

Not to predict, but to navigate.

It is a mirror that allows you to understand your own unfolding, your own process of individuation, by facing what is unconscious and bringing it to the light.


Want to Go Deeper? My Book is Still Available

I wrote about these very themes—how I went through a whole process of individuation, how I used astrology and other practices to reveal the path.

We are all moving through times of deep change.

If you want a framework, if you want to understand how to synthesize the uncertainty rather than be consumed by it, start with your own chart.

Because everything you need is in your body.

BUY my book in all forms

You just have to tap into it.

The Nature of my Reality, WRITTEN + ILLUSTRATED, AND DESIGNED BY MONIKA BRAVO - CO-PRODUCED + EDITED BY MARI BUDLONG Published by Studio of Endless Ideas, 2024- 4-COLOR, 8” X 5” POCKET-SIZED BOOK INCLUDES 240 PAGES FILLED WITH ANECDOTES AND VIBRANT VECTORIZED ILLUSTRATIONS.
The Nature of my Reality, WRITTEN + ILLUSTRATED, AND DESIGNED BY MONIKA BRAVO - CO-PRODUCED + EDITED BY MARI BUDLONG Published by Studio of Endless Ideas, 2024- 4-COLOR, 8” X 5” POCKET-SIZED BOOK INCLUDES 240 PAGES FILLED WITH ANECDOTES AND VIBRANT VECTORIZED ILLUSTRATIONS.

Footnotes: Deepening the Synthesis

1. The Balsamic Phase: The Energy of Endings and Synthesis

• The balsamic aspect occurs when one planet is in the final phase of its cycle with another—it is the energy of endings, dissolution, and preparing for a new cycle. In astrology, it carries the same archetypal essence as Neptune, Pisces, and the 12th house—meaning it is not about building, but about integrating, releasing, and surrendering to what is unfolding.

• Those born with balsamic aspects (like I have with Uranus-Pluto, Moon-Neptune, Jupiter-Sun-Mercury RX) live with an innate awareness that something is completing—not just personally, but collectively. There is often a sense of holding knowledge from previous cycles, acting as a bridge between what is ending and what is to come.

2. Why This is Important Now: The Collective Energy of Dissolution

• Right now, we are collectively experiencing a balsamic period. The North Node of the Moon (our collective evolutionary direction) is in Pisces, amplifying this energy of dissolution and surrender. Saturn is moving through Pisces, reinforcing this massive breaking down of structures and belief systems.

• Soon, we will also have Venus and Mercury retrograding back into Pisces, intensifying this process of review, release, and surrender. The past is dissolving, and what is left must be synthesized before we enter a new era.

• On a global level, we are in a time of major transition. We are not just witnessing endings in our personal lives—we are watching societal, political, financial, and institutional structures collapse. The key is to understand that this is part of a natural cycle—something must dissolve before something new can emerge.

3. Upcoming Eclipses & The Transition into a New Era

• The next Full Moon in Virgo (March 14, 2025) is an eclipse at 23° Pisces/Virgo, meaning it carries fated energy that will accelerate clearing out the old and revealing hidden truths. This eclipse highlights purification, discernment, and the need to restructure both personal and collective systems.

• On March 29, 2025, we have a total Solar Eclipse in Aries at 9°, (where both Mercury and Venus stationed retrograde) marking a massive initiatory moment. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, meaning this eclipse signals the true beginning of a new cycle—one where we shift from dissolution (Pisces) into action (Aries). Signaling the new era that will fully begin on Feb 20, 2026.

• Following the eclipse on March 31, 2025, Neptune enters Aries—after 14 years in Pisces. This is a once-in-a-lifetime shift from spiritual dissolution to raw initiatory force. Taking 165 years - 2 full Uranus cycles. The last time Neptune entered Aries was in 1861, when the American Civil War began.

-My question is? are we fighting our own demons projected onto the others?

We are witnessing the closing of one chapter and the emergence of something entirely new. The period between now and March 30 is the liminal space between past and future—a time to integrate, release, and prepare for the next cycle of evolution.


I am of service…


Last but not least: I leave you an audio from my dear friend Ebony, pure beauty. Follow her Substack below👇

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The Nature of my Reality, WRITTEN + ILLUSTRATED, AND DESIGNED BY MONIKA BRAVO - CO-PRODUCED + EDITED BY MARI BUDLONG Published by Studio of Endless Ideas, 2024- 4-COLOR, 8” X 5” POCKET-SIZED BOOK INCLUDES 240 PAGES FILLED WITH ANECDOTES AND VIBRANT VECTORIZED ILLUSTRATIONS.

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