Pluto Generations: Redefining Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z

By Rhys Navarro

Are you technically Gen X but feel like you relate more to Millennials? Why are Boomers and Millennials constantly at odds with one another? Did you know there are two different types of Boomers? What differentiates Millennials from Gen Z?

 

For decades, professional astrologers have known about the significance that Pluto holds for an entire generation. In this fascinating book, Rhys Navarro introduces this new way of looking at generational theory for beginners and non-astrologers.

 

- Discover why the traditional labels of Baby Boomer, Gen X, Millennial, and Gen Z don't always fit.

- Learn how to determine your "true" generation based on Pluto alignments.

- Explore the trends and patterns for each Pluto Generation based on historical records.

- See what opportunities and challenges lie ahead for you and your Pluto Generation.

 

For fans of Strauss and Howe's generational theory, Pluto Generations offers even greater insight and understanding into the cosmic forces at play behind the scenes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nysa Media
• Release date: Nov 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201765477

Book preview

Introduction

In recent years, generational theory has entered pop culture, fueling countless Boomer vs. Millennial memes and the dismissive catchphrase OK, Boomer. While intergenerational struggle is hardly new - back in the sixth century, Procopius complained that Byzantine youths wore Hun-style haircuts just to annoy their parents - the concept of generations in terms of social progress is fairly recent.

In Cours de Philosophie Positive (1830–1840), Auguste Comte introduced the idea that societies progress through stages in the same way individuals mature and change throughout their lives. He suggested that each successive generation brought new and innovative ideas and practices to replace those of the generations who preceded them.

A century later, economist Joseph Schumpeter coined the term creative destruction to describe the process by which the old is constantly being replaced by the new. As he explains in Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy (1942), creative destruction incessantly revolutionizes the… structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, and incessantly creating a new one.

We can trace our modern scientific understanding of generations back to sociologist Karl Mannheim’s The Problem of Generations (1952). He states generations are formed through two important elements: a common location in historical time that creates shared events and experiences, combined with an awareness of that historical location.

In his brilliant series of essays entitled Collective Souls (2020), Daljeet Peterson explores a concept he attributes to Carl Jung: Whatever is born or done at a particular time has the quality of that moment in time. There are distinct themes or archetypes that appear throughout history, leaving an imprint on the events and the people who experience them. This is important to understanding the generational approach to history. As Peterson explains, "not only will those born during a particular time embody the qualities of that moment, but whatever is done will also embody those same qualities."

The Problem With Labels

If you ask someone which generation they belong to, most people will give whatever quippy moniker the media uses to identify them. There are many problems with these labels, mainly because they rely on hindsight to define a generation’s characteristics after the fact.

- The Lost Generation (1883-1900). Gertrude Stein is credited with coming up with this term, which refers to the wandering, directionless spirit of those who survived World War I and the Spanish Flu epidemic. Ernest Hemingway popularized the name on the opening page of his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises: You are all a lost generation.

- The Greatest Generation (1901-1927). This generation may have grown up during the Roaring Twenties, but the events of the Great Depression and the Second World War shaped their adult lives. Tom Brokaw dubbed them the Greatest Generation in his 1998 book of the same name. Other names suggested for this group include the G.I. Generation and the World War II Generation.

- The Silent Generation (1928-1945). These children of the Great Depression rebuilt society in the aftermath of World War II. Compared to previous generations who had wanted to change the world (and nearly destroyed it in the process), this silent majority kept their heads down and worked hard to pick up the pieces. They received their name after Time Magazine referred to them as the Silent Generation in 1951.

- Baby Boomers (1946-1964). Even though Boomers were born during the baby boom that immediately followed World War II, the term wasn’t coined until 1963. In the 1970s, writer Tom Wolfe suggested a more appropriate name for them would be the Me Generation because of their narcissistic tendencies. Pointing to the counter-culture hippie movement and the political activists within their ranks, more sympathetic writers proposed the Now Generation instead. (Patrick 2016)

- Generation X (1965-1980). Technically, Gen X started in the mid-1960s, but this group didn’t coalesce around an identity until 1991, with the publication of Douglas Coupland’s novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. While urban legend attributes the inspiration for the title to the defunct punk band from singer Billy Idol, Coupland denies this. The X refers to an unknown variable or to a desire not to be defined. A vague X fits this generation better than any of the suggested alternatives: Post-Boomers, Baby Busters (regarding the drop in birth rates after the baby boom), New Lost Generation, MTV Generation, or the 13th Generation (since they were the 13th generation since American independence).

- Millennials (1981-1996). While Gen Y was initially floated as a natural successor to Gen X, this title never quite caught on. In 1987, authors Neil Howe and William Strauss came up with the term Millennial because the oldest members would reach adulthood around the turn of the third millennium. Alternative names suggested over the years include Generation 9/11, Generation Next, and the Burnout Generation.

- Generation Z (1997-2012). Even though Millennials didn’t respond well to the term Gen Y, the next letter in the alphabetical sequence seems to fair better. The verdict is still out on whether the current generation will stick with Gen Z, or if they’ll embrace one of the other proposed options instead: the Internet Generation, iGen, Centennials, Post-Millennials (or my personal favorite, Zoomers").

- Generation Alpha (2013-mid 2020s). This name is derived from the first letter of the Greek alphabet, as this group is the first generation to be completely born in the 21st century. Time will tell if Alphas embrace this label or not. Since the COVID pandemic is one of the defining events of this group, some people have suggested Generation C as an alternative.

Then there areCuspers, groups of people who straddle two generations but don’t feel at home in either. For example, those born in the early 1980s are technically considered Millennials but share many of the characteristics normally associated with Gen X. Marketers have helpfully introduced their own catchy label for this micro-generation; they call them Xennials.

Other micro-generations include Echo-Boomers (1989-1994), the Net Generation (1994-1998), and the Rainbow Generation (1998-2002). And let’s not forget the so-called niche or phantom generations like Generation Jones (1954-1964). In our desire to apply labels to every possible peer group, these names end up losing all meaning.

Even the term generation can be misleading. If we look at the broad-strokes definition, it is the measurement of time it takes to be born, grow up, and have a child. Peterson calls this arbitrarily-defined generational gerrymandering. This system, of course, has built-in cultural flaws since many women are having children at a much older age now than they did a century ago. Yet this basic formula has not shifted.

Predicting Generational Cycles

It’s easy to identify generational trends after the fact, but what about looking ahead to the future? Attempting to predict patterns of behavior among large groups of people is always tricky, but that doesn’t stop demographers from trying, albeit with varying degrees of success.

One of today’s most popular predictive theories was introduced in Strauss & Howe’s groundbreaking book, The Fourth Turning (1997). They suggest that history is made up of recurring 80 to 100 year cycles which are divided into four parts they call Turnings.

To briefly summarize the Fourth Turning Theory:

The First Turning is the High, an upbeat era of strengthening institutions and weakening individualism, when ideas for a new civic order germinate and the old values regime decays. Strauss & Howe believe the most recent High started America’s economic boom after World War II, and ended with the assassination of JFK.

The Second Turning or the Awakening marks a time of questioning, a passionate era of spiritual upheaval, when the civic order comes fully under attack from a new values regime. This corresponds with the Consciousness Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, which saw the rise of the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement, women’s rights, and environmental protection.

The Third Turning is the Unraveling, a downcast era of strengthening individualism and weakening institutions, when the old civic order decays and the new values regime takes root. Strauss & Howe associate this period with the 1980s and the rise of the Culture War in America.

The Fourth Turning is the Crisis, a decisive era of secular upheaval, when the values regime propels the replacement of the old civic order with a new one. Historically, the last Crisis began with the Wall Street Crash of 1929, carried forward through Great Depression, and reached its climax with the end of World War II.

According to Strauss & Howe, the next Fourth Turning has already begun. But it’s not all gloom and doom. Within each Turning arises a generational archetype to help propel society through to the next stage of the cycle:

The High creates what they call a Prophet generation (which corresponds to our current Baby Boomers);

The Awakening leads to a Nomad generation (which sees parallels in both the Lost Generation and Gen X);

The Unraveling gives rise to a Hero generation (Greatest Generation and Millennials);

The Crisis produces an Artist generation (Silent Generation and Generation Z).

While the Fourth Turning Theory is widely popular, it’s not without its critics. Some have pointed out that it tries to cram all of history into too narrow of a frame. It also has a very American-centric model that doesn’t always fit with the rest of the world. (Alexander 2018).

In this book, I hope to build upon many of these previously established concepts - societal progression, creative destruction, archetypal themes, and the cyclical nature of history - by providing a different lens through which to view generational theory: astrology.

Chapter 1: Why Pluto?

Turning to the solar system as a metric for measuring generations isn’t so far-fetched. The movement of the sun and the moon already dictates our clocks and calendars. Why not look to the sky for longer cycles as well? The astrological approach uses nature as a guide, which seems much more intuitive. Using a cosmic clock to mark generations has the added benefit of being universally consistent and free of cultural distinctions.

When someone asks What’s your sign? they are usually referring to the Sun sign. The average person whose familiarity with astrology is limited to their weekly horoscope may not realize that the Sun sign is but one of many components that make up a full birth (or natal) chart. Just as everyone has a Sun sign in their natal chart, they also have a Pluto sign.¹

As ancient stargazers watched the planets and stars in the night sky, they divided the heavens into twelve sections, and named each one after a particular god or deity. These early astrologers noticed recurring, predictable changes in human behavior whenever the planets moved from one sign of the Zodiac to the next.

The Earth takes 365 days to orbit the Sun. As it does, the Sun appears to travel across the sky, passing through all twelve signs of the Zodiac, spending roughly one month in each sign. This is how we determine our Sun sign.

Meanwhile, on the far outer fringes of our solar system, Pluto takes 248 years to complete its own journey around the Sun. This longer cycle makes it an ideal indicator to analyze broader historical trends, undercurrents, and threads. Because of its highly elliptical orbit, Pluto moves faster as it approaches the Sun, which means it moves more quickly through some Zodiac signs than others. Daljeet Peterson explains: When Pluto is closest to the Sun (perihelion) it speeds through the sign Scorpio in just 11 years. When it is furthest from the Sun (aphelion) it takes 30 years to crawl through the sign Taurus.

So instead of being confined to an arbitrary 20-year period, Pluto generations vary in length. This irregularity helps explain the concept of Cuspers and micro-generations. They simply may not belong to the generation they thought. This also means that at certain points in history, there will be a sense of time speeding up, Peterson points out, while at other times there will be a sense of slowing down and settling in.

Even though the study of astrology is thousands of years old, Pluto is a relatively modern addition to the planetary pantheon. It was discovered in 1930, at a remarkable time in human history. This marked the midpoint between the start of World War I and the end of World War II. Fascism was on the rise. Humanity had only just begun to harness the power of the atom. From this point forward, the future of life on Earth would change dramatically. (Renstrom 2021)

Pluto is small; scientists continue to debate whether it is a dwarf planet or a planetoid. But like the tiny atom, Pluto packs a big punch, astrologically speaking. Since it has such a wildly eccentric orbit (it is sometimes closer to the Sun than Neptune), Pluto is associated with extremes. (Watson 2018).

Named after the Greek God Hades, Pluto is connected with the underworld and the subconscious. In astrology, Pluto is considered the planet of transformation, acting as a force of creative destruction so to speak. Pluto clears out what is old, worn out, and dysfunctional in order to make way for something new. (Walker 2021). 

This is the dual nature of Pluto. Yes, it can be destructive, but after the dust settles, there is not just creation, but a brand new type of creation. Isabel Hickey describes Pluto as the Phoenix bird, rising from the ashes of its dead self. (Francis n.d.)

In this way, Pluto can have both positive and negative implications, which manifest in different ways depending on which Zodiac sign it is passing through at the time.

Of course, when discussing something as far-reaching and diverse as an entire generation encompassing millions of people around the globe, it is necessary to make some broad generalizations. As Peterson is quick to point out, there will be outliers, contrarians and myriad data points to present a counter argument to the observed trends, patterns and themes that emerge as a generational identity. But he also reminds us that in doing so, the astrological model is no different from conventional models.

ZodiacWheel_Dates.jpg

The Archetypes of the Zodiac

If we look at the planets as an energetic symphony, the personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Mars, and Venus) create the melody - the thrilling highs and lows that play out in our daily lives - while the slower-moving outer planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) act as the steady drumbeat in the background over years or decades.

Rick Levine calls the energy of Pluto a consistent theme that hums throughout an entire generation. Peterson describes it as "our generational signature — a constellation of qualities that we possess and share with our cohorts that