Ok, we made it through! Over the course of this series of articles we’ve examined each of the six generations that make up the current composition of contemporary society. Now what?
We come to the present moment. Welcome to America 2021. Is this the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?
We are clearly at a crossroads, standing at the intersection of intersectionality. How we navigate these next few years, from an intergenerational perspective, might determine whether we sink or swim as a nation. It’s that critical. Having armed ourselves with the insights of the astrological framework, let’s try to put these archetypes to work and see if we can’t map a pathway to a more holistically-integrated society and avoid driving this great country into the ditch.
Culture Wars 2.0
We currently find ourselves in the phase of what Peter Limburgh has aptly dubbed Culture Wars 2.0. It’s a theater of highly-charged emotionality, replete with knee-jerk reactionary impulses and trigger-finger cancel culture impetus. It’s fueled by the dopamine-addicting AI algorithms of tech giants that profit from the efforts of bad actors who are intentionally polarizing society by polluting the information ecology with toxic disinformation in the form of fake news and conspiracy theories. We’ve entered an era where it seems impossible to make sense of the world, where sharing the wrong viewpoint can get you instantly exiled from your digital tribe, where everyone is right and everyone else is wrong. Far from the climate of cool-headed dialog and thoughtful consideration of the multitude of perspectives that this critical situation so desperately demands, we are being reduced to a form of primitive tribalism whose inevitable outcome is a descent into some kind of postmodern civil war.
Not pretty.
An “all hands on deck” type of situation is unfolding before our very eyes. By necessity, it’s going to take a multigenerational approach to navigate these uncharted waters if the American experiment is to survive into the next century.
So let’s apply our astrological model and start to take a multigenerational perspective on our current situation. We’ll explore each of the six generations in turn, highlight their strengths, point out their weaknesses, examine their current stage in life and seek to promote their aggregate potential to maximally contribute their gifts to society as the highest expression of their collective soul purpose. A rather lofty ambition, but one well worth pursuing.
Remember, at its core, the archetype of Pluto equates to power. Therefore we might ask, “What essential power dynamic does each generation represent?”
Generation Pluto Power Stage in Life
Pluto in Leo (1937–1956) = the power to create old age advisors
Pluto in Virgo (1956–1972) = the power to improve elder leaders
Pluto in Libra (1972–1983) = the power to relate midlife managers
Pluto in Scorpio (1983–1995) = the power to transform adulthood workers
Pluto in Sagittarius (1995–2008) = the power to understand youth explorers
Pluto in Capricorn (2008–2024) = the power to achieve childhood learners
Of course this is an oversimplification. We’ve demonstrated how each of these generations, while far from being some monolithic archetype, is in fact composed of a “constellation of qualities.” But for the purposes of this article, it may prove helpful to identify a single key power principle that each of the generations brings to the table as a means of understanding how each successive generation unfolds into the next and to appreciate the unique contribution each peer group has to offer society.
Reluctant Leaders
Rather than start with our eldest statesman, the Pluto in Leo generation (1937–1956), I want to first consider the role that the Pluto in Virgo generation (1956–1972) is playing within the current socio-political context, because they currently hold the most pivotal power position in society (even if they are in total denial of that fact). It seems throughout the coexistence of these two generations, the conversation has always started and ended with Pluto in Leo Baby Boomers. It may be high time for a role reversal. Which means Pluto in Virgo GenXers need to step up to the mic and wield their collective power to improve.
Critical thinking and detailed analysis are two key gifts of the Virgo archetype. Therefore, the responsibility falls on this generation—at the time in their life cycle of peak power and leadership—to figure out where we’ve gone wrong as a society and provide a plan to get us back on course. We might identify three big problems currently facing our society that this generation is perhaps best qualified to address as a group: political polarization, economic disparity and climate change.
Let’s start with political polarization. A good place for my generation to begin might be to render a thorough critique of critical theory itself—the deconstructionist perspective of postmodern academia that had spread like a virus throughout institutional America in recent years, unleashing an intellectual Trojan horse that has seemingly “infected” the thinking of many thought leaders. My use of this virus analogy is not pejorative, but rather comes from the work of critical theorists themselves. One of the intended aims of critical theory has been to “infect” liberal society with their own abrasive brand of cynical criticism as a means of attacking the structures of society (ie: male-dominated hierarchies) from the inside out, executing a cultural coup d’etat in the process. It would appear of late that they have been somewhat successful in their efforts to “go viral.” Critical theory is essentially the “deep code” that runs the operating system of the social justice movement.
On its surface, social justice appears to be an attractive program. It’s a cause we can all rally behind, right? Who doesn’t want a more fair society with justice for all? (Well, racists and fascists, but we’ll get to them next). So it’s easy to get on board with the cause, especially in light of the recent wave of “caught on tape” police brutalities and the brave confessions of sexual assault victims in the #MeToo movement. Issues of race, class and gender are at the heart of critical theory and form the basis of its attack on the perceived enemy: a white, male-dominated power structure that it views as homogeneously racist, sexist and elitist. Not unlike the conspiracy theories fabricated by QAnon on the extreme right, this extreme left critique of white male power holds just enough water to seem true enough that many people have been naïvely convinced that it is entirely true. It’s not. And its language of demonization is proving dangerous and destructive, and may be inadvertently pushing many otherwise conservative Americans to make a reactionary move towards the extreme right. This is a real problem.
This is not to say that critical theory is all wrong or that the social justice movement is a bad idea. Many of the observations and criticisms of postmodernism—however corrosive and cynically presented—are indeed valid and cause for a deeper reflection that might motivate action and reform. Racism exists. Sexism exists. Classism exists. But are all white people racist? Is every man a misogynist? Are all wealthy people inherently evil? Of course not. But these absurd propositions are being presented as facts. And if left unchecked, this line of thinking could have disastrous consequences for our society. We need to separate the wheat from the chaff here. Which is why I’m calling on the Pluto in Virgo generation—with their penchant for discernment and critical analysis—to turn their prodigious attention to these issues and sort out a pathway forward that doesn’t effectively alienate half the population in the process, or lead us unnecessarily down a path towards civil war.
The Pluto in Virgo cultural leadership needs to address an equally challenging problem percolating within the extreme right wing of the American political spectrum, where a virus of a different strain is infecting many of this nation’s most vulnerable minds. The twin contagions of QAnon and Boogaloo are working their way through an increasingly disenfranchised segment of the American population and have been given tacit support by a president who sought to foster civil unrest to his political advantage. The tools of dissemination for the various conspiratorial and hateful disinformation campaigns are the very technologies which the Pluto in Virgo generation so masterfully designed: the internet, social media and big data aggregation. The genie is out of the bottle. The question now is how to address the broken information ecology. This is a unique challenge that a generation with the gift of criticism, analysis, detail-orientation seems destined to meet. It’s time to clean up our own house.
Unfortunately, with Pluto in Virgo, we see a generation that seems to be somewhat divided amongst itself. Interestingly, the postmodern perspective began to gain its foothold in academia right in the middle of this generation’s college experience, such that only the middle and later members of this cohort would have been exposed to that thinking, while the eldest of this tribe would have received a more classic education. Undoubtedly, the critical nature of the postmodern viewpoint would likely have resonated with a generation for whom the very idea of criticism is a core value.
But equally as strong would have been the appeal of the classical model of the humanities and the rich legacy of all its accrued knowledge and scientific rigor—a cultural treasure trove to be poured over, analyzed and classified in classic Virgo fashion. Additionally, the Virgo archetype tends to be more cautious, which has resulted in many of this generation taking up more conservative or libertarian political positions. As such, this generation may be the most centrist in recent history, but in many ways represents a bridge between the modern and postmodern world. They can remember how things “were” and have had a front row seat to the transition to how things have “become.”
Recall that this is a peer group that has come into this life with the collective soul purpose to improve, purify and perfect. And as such, having set impossibly high standards, they leave themselves prone to failure and the painful awareness of their own shortcomings. This is after all a generation that embraced the slogan: ”Fail Sooner.” Yet this, in fact, is actually the source of their strength. With an earthy practicality grounded in detailed analysis, as a cohort they possess what we might call the ultimate generational bullshit detector. And right now, the alarm bells sounding from both extremes of the current culture war are pegging their collective meter.
Yet, this Pluto in Virgo generation has been somewhat reluctant to leverage their collective political power. Possessing the quintessential entrepreneurial spirit, many of the best and brightest of this generation have endeavored to work outside the system, having seen from their critical and somewhat cynical perspective that that whole thing is kinda bullshit and that the best survival strategy is to work the system, lest it work you. Their reputation for cynicism is well deserving. As a result, far fewer of this generation’s sharpest minds were inclined to pursue careers in government, politics, and academia, believing they could be more effective and more successful working outside of the institutional framework. And for the most part they were, for as a generation they basically engineered the framework of what we now know as the digital age and are currently in control of the economic levers of the tech giants of Silicon Valley.
But as a result of Pluto in Virgo’s entrepreneurial spirit and outsider approach, they created a power vacuum within America’s traditional institutions which has been eagerly filled by cohorts from the generations that came before and after them, as the older Pluto in Leo generation (1937–1956) has sought to hold on to positions of power much longer, while the younger Pluto in Libra generation (1972–1982) has come into positions of power much sooner. Even the younger still Pluto in Scorpio generation (1983–1995) is getting in on the game, witnessed by the ascendency of such political figures as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This at a time in the Pluto in Virgo life cycle when they should be firmly at the wheel of the ship of state. When Barack Obama became the first Pluto in Virgo president in American history in 2008, it appeared this generation was about to step up to the plate. But it seems they got outmaneuvered by a more politically savvy Pluto in Leo generation, who forced them to hand the keys back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in 2016. And now we have the specter of two possibly senile grandpas battling it out for the nation’s highest office.
Some of the more prominent members of the Pluto in Virgo generation (now age 48–64 and at the peak of their social power), have begun to push back against the more preposterous propositions being floated by extreme factions in society. True to their archetypal nature, they are reacting with a sensible pessimism and a shrewd skepticism regarding what seem to them quite inane ideas that have not been very well thought out. Taken to their logical conclusion—a unique (and rather rare these days) ability of the Mercury-ruled Virgo mind—many of the radical notions of the new culture wars can be foreseen to have dire consequences for the integrity of our society. And some mature and measured GenXers (derided as “Centrist Dads”) are mustering the courage to speak out against the mob mentality that has gathered recent momentum despite its demonstrated lack of ability to take any criticism or reflect on the potential flaws in their own often myoptic thinking. But many more from this peer group need to step up and inject their practical wisdom into the social discourse. Too many remain disengaged, disenchanted and disinterested, and while it’s hard to blame them, the times have become far too tenuous to afford them the luxury to sit on the sidelines or lurk in the shadows—it’s time for this generation to fully emerge into their leadership role.
In fact, it’s imperative. The Pluto in Virgo generation—as the “transitional archetype”—must necessarily lead us through this transition, occurring as it has at the time in their lifecycle (the trine phase of their natal Pluto) when they are being collectively called upon to apply their accrued wisdom and utilize their unique insights. This is the peak of their power to improve. The failure of this reluctant yet practical generation to step up and assume their rightful leadership role may prove disastrous for the entire country. From the perspective of our astrological model, the Virgo archetype represents a critical shift from the personal to the social. It contains a kind of soul medicine that is greatly needed. Many of our greatest healers are working quietly among this cohort. But they need to make their voices heard above the din of discord. For if this generation and their gift of improvement is allowed to be skipped over, a valuable contribution will have been lost, and the archetypal continuity that the zodiac represents will have been disrupted, which might portend unseen yet dire consequences. Let’s not let that happen.
From My Cold, Dead Hands
As for the Pluto in Leo generation (now age 64–83), having spent a lifetime in the limelight demonstrating their power to create and asserting their prodigious leadership abilities, the time has finally come for them to exit stage left. In many ways this peer group was the progenitor of the current postmodern milieu, and as such many remain deeply invested in the outcome, as they should be. But they must acknowledge this is the time in their lifecycle when they need to take a back seat and pass on the torch to the next generation of Americans. Such is the natural order of things. But this has proven difficult for this cohort for several reasons.
For one, their characteristic youth obsession has somewhat deluded them into thinking they can continue to perform at a very high level forever. The idea of retirement is anathema to their archetypal lust for life, and they collectively fear if they let go of their accrued power—and the tremendous generational wealth it has afforded them—it will mean a loss of relevance and a demotion in value. And this strikes at their core insecurity. In response, they are stubbornly refusing to accept the natural transition into their next phase of life, and it’s causing the rest of us problems. Their narcissism is getting in the way of the real progress that needs to be made. Having groomed and educated their next generation peers, it’s time for these Baby Boomers to step aside and let GenX rule, themselves moving on to assume their more age-appropriate role as our wisdom keepers—the sage advisors who have resigned to guide more with words than lead in deeds.
But this demonstrates another challenge for Pluto in Leo Baby Boomers: they simply don’t trust the Pluto in Virgo GenXers coming up behind them. In fact, they never have. They’ve dismissed this generation from the start, writing them off as a bunch of no good slackers who are wholly inadequate to serve as their successors. Those boneheads can’t be trusted to continue their culture of creativity or preserve all their precious accomplishments. Look at all we’ve done since the 60s. Those slackers will simply fuck it up. Besides, GenX never seemed all that interested in leadership anyways. They’ve spent a lifetime sitting on the sidelines and criticized us like a bunch of Monday Morning Quarterbacks, while we’ve been in the game chalking up all the victories left and right. We’re winners, they’re losers. Why should we turn over the trophy we’ve deservedly earned to a bunch of ne’er-do-wells who lack any kind of competitive spirit at all? They’re gonna drop the ball!
Sure, I’m mocking the tone of a Trump or a Biden, but we can’t completely fault them for this line of thinking. From their perspective, “nobody does it better” and some could do a lot worse. But what this prideful generation needs to admit is that the very sober, understated and humble nature of the Pluto in Virgo GenX generation is exactly what is being called for at this time. Sure, the Pluto in Leo generation did a lot of amazing things over the last half century. But they’ve also created quite a mess. Many of the problems we now face seem to sit squarely in their collective blind spot, leaving them rather ill-equipped to address them. The Pluto in Virgo generation has no such blind spots. The problems have always been clear as day to them. And with their collective power to improve, they are uniquely well-suited to step in and repair the damage. It feels like a scene in Pulp Fiction, where the Pluto in Leo generation are Vincent and Jules, and the Pluto in Virgo generation are The Wolf.
The specter of the 2020 presidential election that looms on the near horizon is frightening to many Americans. Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden— two old Pluto in Leo white guys— seem perfectly fit for the office. The fresh blood and new leadership this country so desperately needs has been effectively locked out of the process. It’s such a clear indicator of the failure to properly shift generational power that we’ve been examining. The only question is: can we survive four more years (or twelve more years!) of Pluto in Leo “business as usual” politics?
Regardless of outcome, the next four years will prove to be the Pluto in Leo’s political swan song, and have an outsized impact on their generational legacy. In 2024, Pluto will move from conservative Capricorn into the future-oriented sign of Aquarius, and will undoubtedly usher in a new era of social progress and massive technological innovation. What will be left of the current structure of society after Pluto spends its last four years in Capricorn remains to be seen.
Recall that Pluto’s entry into Capricorn back in 2008 occurred simultaneously with the financial crisis. The message was clear: the planet that seeks to evolve outmoded structures (Pluto) was about to work its transformative mojo on the very structure and systems of society itself (Capricorn). During this period of Pluto in Capricorn (2008–2024), every major social system is being thoroughly stress-tested: banking systems, political systems, medical systems, media systems, information systems. Anything that has crystallized and no longer serves the evolutionary needs of society will be reformed, revised or replaced. Resistance is futile. The harder those in control of these old, outmoded systems resist the necessary changes, the harder they will fall—dragging us all down with them. Which is why these last four years of the Pluto in Capricorn era may prove to be quite critical. Can we as a society endeavor on a path of slow and steady reform? Or will it end in catastrophe—encouraged by the ever-growing, disenfranchised mobs fermenting on both extreme wings of the political spectrum, armed with “nothing to lose” attitudes and short-sighted perspectives that see burning it all to the ground as the best possible outcome?
If you don’t think that’s a real possibility, think again. Make no bones about it, we are truly in danger of losing our republic. Despite all its flaws and shortcomings, it still remains one of the greatest social experiments in the history of western civilization. We may have taken a few wrong turns of late, but it’s not too late to recalibrate our civic GPS and get back on track towards the shared vision of a prosperous future that still exists in our collective consciousness. America was built on ingenuity and optimism. The problem is that such a vision is woefully lacking, and where it does exist, it seems to be getting drowned out by the bitter infighting and fragmented reality of the memetic tribalism that has our culture in its paralyzing grips. Perhaps this is all part of the evolutionary process, the necessary growing pains of a society trying to reformulate as a truly 21st century enterprise. But at this point it remains “too close to call.”
Restoring Decency to the Discourse
Which brings us to the Pluto in Libra generation (1972–1983), who have really come into their own of late as they’ve made the move into greater managerial roles as befits a peer group making the shift into midlife. And in contrast to the reluctant Pluto in Virgo generation before them, they share no such reservations about injecting themselves and their core values into the socio-political mix. Remember, Libra is the first socially-oriented archetype of the zodiac. The shift from Virgo to Libra is significant, as it indicates a new phase has begun in the collective. This is due to Libra being a cardinal sign, and thus seeks to radiate out from its center. It is also yang or outward-focused, and it’s element is air, which desires to express, to communicate, to relate. And it’s ruled by Venus, and thus imbued with notions of balance, harmony, love, beauty, art and aesthetics. These combined qualities have motivated this generation to play an active and civilizing role in society.
And as such, the great gift on offer from this Pluto in Libra generation is the power to relate in beautiful, harmonious and equitable ways. They also possess another innate and valuable skill that is so desperately needed in these contentious times: the ability to listen. Listening to others, really hearing them, and reflecting back with empathy and understanding. This is Libra at its best, and we have witnessed many from this generation really making the effort to hear the needs of others, to relate to different perspectives, and work to restore balance and harmonize any perceived inequality or injustice. Really invaluable work!
But as we’ve also observed with Pluto in Libra, there is a tendency with this archetype to swing too far in one direction, with their symbolic scales tipping to one side or the other. For in truth, while seeking balance, Pluto in Libra is fundamentally in a continuous state of imbalance. Balance may be their goal, but disequilibrium is their reality. And we can see a reflection of this generation’s well-intentioned balancing act playing out in the current climate of our culture.
As befits an archetype for whom relativity is a core value, they were the first generation to be entirely educated within the postmodern framework. Surely, as young students they would have resonated with postmodernism’s multi-polar perspective, and its mandate for equality of outcomes vis-á-vis the dismantling of male-dominated social hierarchies. Despite the origins of postmodern critique being primarily focused on philosophy and the arts, the progressive application of its deconstructionist principles to the social sciences more broadly—including political science, economics, anthropology, sociology and psychology—and then further still into the hard sciences, where now even biology has become subject to the postmodern rubric. This has led to the transformative assertion that even gender is actually just a social construct and should thus be decoupled from any claims of biological imperatives. Wait, what? You can hear Darwin rolling over in his grave.
So, have we gone too far?
On the one hand, we might argue that the leading edge of science—as confirmed by the “observer effect” in the theory of quantum mechanics (which proclaims that the mere observance of a phenomenon inevitably changes that phenomenon)—seems to support the postmodern assertion that there is no objective claim to truth, that reality is entirely subjective, and beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. This would indeed please the relativity of the Pluto in Libra sensibility. But is it correct or even constructive to take such a radical position? What are the downsides to this deconstructed perspective?
The main criticism of postmodernism is that it has performed a slight-of-hand trick by positioning itself as somehow impervious to it’s own critique. It posits that everything is socially constructed and thus there can be no valid claim to objective truth. Well, wouldn’t that make the claim of postmodernism—that everything is false—itself a false claim? If we apply postmodern criticism to postmodernism itself, it immediately seems to fall apart. And despite its litany of criticisms, it seems to offer little in the way of effective solutions.
This has been the rebuke of postmodernism proffered by people like Jordan Peterson (himself a first wave Pluto in Virgo), who became a lightning rod for conservatives when he pushed back against transgender identitly politics in his native Canada. While his reactionary perspective is not without flaws, his forceful rhetoric has made many allies who have rallied around a new political center, which is questioning the intersectionality of gender politics and “woke” culture and formed into a new nexus that has self-identified as the Intellectual Dark Web.
There’s a sense that the Pluto in Libra generation seems to be positioned smack dab in the center of this evolving controversy, which appears to be dividing somewhat along generational lines. Many of the new leaders of wokeness, such as congresswomen Ayanna Pressely, authors Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ibraham X. Kendi and filmmaker Justin Simian are Pluto in Libra cohorts of color. (Notably, Robin DiAngelo, author of current bestseller Whilte Fragility is a white female last wave Pluto in Leo Baby Boomer). Many of the reactionaries of Jordan Peterson’s ilk (like Joe Rogan, Eric and Brett Weinstein, Sam Harris and David Fuller of Rebel Wisdom) are all Pluto in Virgo cohorts (and incidentally, all white males). And it would seem the Pluto in Libra response to these criticisms of wokeness has resulted in a new phenomenon: cancel culture.
And here we see a synergy between the Pluto in Libra and Pluto in Scorpio generations. These are both inherently socially-oriented (and hence politically-minded) peer groups. And as they now hold a majority position across institutional America, their values are being rapaciously propagated throughout society. The virtue-signalling that has recently rippled through corporate America—witnessing entire companies and their brands pledging solidarity with woke culture—can be directly attributed to this Libra/Scorpio generational alliance. Does this mean that every American between the ages of 25–48 is a proponent of wokeness? No, of course not. But it does represent the dominant values of this combination of generational archetypes.
And to many who don’t necessarily share these values or adhere to this perspective, there’s a sense of having it shoved down their throats. Which is proving a tough pill to swallow, and generating a lot of push back and fermenting some quite bitter resentment. Here we might intuit that the innate abilities of the Pluto in Libra generation that would enable them to play the crucial role of cultural mediators needs to be pressed into immediate service. The question here becomes whether or not they can channel their archetypal devotion to fairness and balance, or if they will succumb to the dangers of pushing too hard on one side of their proverbial scale, creating a rather disastrous disequilibrium, despite their having the best of intentions.
This is going to prove a tricky situation to navigate and will require threading the needle to get it right. Thus, this Pluto in Libra generation may well find themselves much like a middle child torn between two disagreeable siblings, with the older Pluto in Virgo GenXers calling for a more cautious and conservative response, while the younger Pluto in Scorpio Millennials demand we charge full steam ahead. It’s a rather unenviable position, but a role this soul collective has apparently been born to play. I for one am rooting for them to tap their Venusian capacity to build consensus and restore a sense of civility to the social discourse that has been all but destroyed by the memetic tribalism of culture war 2.0. This generation might hold the balance between war and peace. So, fare-thee-well, my Pluto in Libra brothers and sisters.
Power Struggle
Which brings us to the Pluto in Scorpio generation (1983–1995), who are currently forcing their way onto the socio-political stage with an eruptive presence. Young members of this cohort are leveraging their influence across the political spectrum—from social justice warriors, Black Lives Matter protesters and MeToo supporters to QAnon evangelists, Incel purists and Boogaloo patriots—they’re all riding a wave of unrest that seems custom-tailored to their archetypal proclivity for tackling the often thorny issue of power dynamics. Do not make the mistake of dismissing this generation as a bunch of whiny, overly-coddled slacktivists. As a peer group they represent a significant tipping point on the fulcrum of power, and they intend to use their growing political weight and amassed clout to absorb as much collective power as possible, and will seek to transform society in the process, remaking it in their own self-image, however unformed or ill-informed that may be.
Considering the astrological “double signature” of this generation as Pluto and Scorpio, their characteristic intensity will prove a force with which to be reckoned. As we witness this generation currently coming into their early adulthood phase of life—thus getting their first taste of social and political power—we must caution against their unconscious, instinctive and often mob-like tendencies. Pluto in Scorpio desires to effect necessary transformations and promote evolution, but it has no compunction about doing so in a volatile, dangerous and destructive way. While their revolutionary urges may be well-intentioned, they are still at a rather premature stage in life, one that requires further development and refinement to optimally actualize. But this cohort harbors a powerful instinct to seize upon any political opportunity or capitalize on any weakness or vulnerability in their perceived social enemies. And with the prototypical scorpion sting, they possess the power to collectively lash out, potentially poisoning the culture in the process.
This may appear on the surface to be too harsh a judgement of this nascent generation, and in stark contrast to the more common depiction of Millennials as a rather sheepish and directionless bunch. But through our astrological lens, we are wise to give them their due respect. Because the surface is the wrong place to focus on this peer group. The Pluto in Scorpio archetype demands that we go beneath the surface, plumb the depths and get to the core meaning of the life-and-death struggle for power that is human existence. That is the collective soul purpose of this generation, and it is in that pursuit that they will endeavor to exercise their power to transform. The failure of older generations to recognize the aggressive political ambitions simmering beneath the surface of this momentous peer group is going to be caught off guard and susceptible to a fight from the inside and attack from the rear.
The Pluto in Scorpio generation is arguably more sensitive to the existential threats that humanity faces than any other, which is why they may be more inclined to take an “all or nothing” approach to solving the big systemic problems they see in the world. As a collective of souls, they are no strangers to cataclysm, upheaval, revolution and catharsis. They intuitively understand the archetype of Kali—the Hindu goddess who at once embodies both destruction and creation—eliciting the understanding that destroying the old to make way for the new is just a natural part of the evolutionary process. There is a deep, unconscious urge in this generation to destroy, to eliminate, to transmute, to transform. And they will not be afraid to resort to violence, using “any means necessary” to further their revolutionary agendas.
That may sound alarmist, but this is the type of deep archetypal insight that the astrological perspective provides us. It’s not that we’re predicting this behavior as some generationally fatalistic trajectory, but rather that we are developing an awareness and sensitivity to the deeper archetypal dynamics at play here, which is calling us to acknowledge and integrate these potentialities into a more complete and holistic model. The Pluto in Scorpio generation has incarnated on the planet at this time for a reason. Just as the Pluto in Libra generation before them, and the Pluto in Virgo before them, and so on. This archetypal continuum represents the deeper wisdom encoded in the zodiac itself—the collective inheritance of humanity. We ignore the gift of this insight at our own peril.
Therefore, it is the role of the two elder generations—Pluto in Libra and Pluto in Virgo—to find the means to channel the volcanic power that this generation is bringing to the collective table. Stewardship, leadership, mentorship, experience, guidance: these are the qualities being called into service. Not division and finger-pointing and bullshit virtue signalling. C’mon, as the adults in the room, we need to be better than that.
Because there’s a real danger here of mishandling this explosive Pluto in Scorpio generational energy. If the Pluto in Libra generation acquiesces to every insistence of equality without the requisite counterbalance measures calling for sound judgement, they’ve failed us. If the Pluto in Virgo generation reacts with resignation and cynicism without the requisite rationality, logic and sense of duty, they’ve failed us. If the Pluto in Leo generation panders to every whim without the matured sense of selfless leadership, they’ve failed us. If this entire stack of generational adults fails to get their collective acts together, the entire social experiment known as the American experience is doomed to implode before our very eyes.
Collective Thought Experiment
The members of power savvy Pluto in Scorpio generation who are moving into young adulthood aren’t the only ones who need the guidance, wisdom and support of their elders. The knowledge-hungry members of the Pluto in Sagittarius generation (1995–2008) who are coming of age behind them also need the benefit of mentorship from their generational elders. As we predicted in a previous article, this is likely to prove to be a high-minded young peer group that will perceptibly distinguish itself from the first wave Millennials that preceded them. The collective soul purpose of the Pluto in Sagittarius archetype gives this generation the power to understand.
In contrast to the emotionality of the Pluto in Scorpio set, this group will likely opt for more intellectual, philosophical and spiritual approaches to life’s big challenges. As the “adults in the room,” we need to recognize, nurture and support these unique qualities and give these young and developing minds the proper tools of discernment and provide them with the educational environments for free-thinking that will encourage them to follow their collective soul purpose. Sadly, we have a long way to go. For this generation is coming of age in the lowbrow era of disinformation, fake news, conspiracy theories and memetic warfare—all components that would facilitate the shadow side of the Pluto in Sagittarius archetype. Rather than promote high-minded values, free-thinking ideals and exercises in truth-seeking, these conditions foster fanatical theorizing, doom and gloom proselytizing and exercises in dogmatic bigotry.
This will either prove to be the generation that can perform the kinds of mental gymnastics that can effectively cut through all this digitally-mediated clutter and work to clean up the pollution of our information ecology, or they will become the unwitting apostles of its most ignorant, destructive and divisive memes. While there are valid reasons to be optimistic about the capacities and potentials of this knowledge-obsessed generation, there is also cause for concern that their neotenous minds can be swayed by the philosophies of false prophets, the rhetoric of dangerous demagogues or the humorless hysterics of would-be authoritarian overlords. This is a collective of souls that has come into this world with a deep, unconscious desire to make sense of the world, to understand humanity’s place in the universe, to exuberantly explore our human potential. It’s ironic then (or just cosmically synchronistic), that they have been born into this age when society’s sensemaking apparatus is in the process of being thoroughly dismantled.
Members of this Pluto in Sag generation, currently age 12–25, seem to be the subjects of a collective thought experiment. How will these young people learn to think in this postmodern, deconstructed and polarized world? The reflexive response is to assess that we have failed them miserably. Having been reared on iPads and smartphones, their developing brains have been addled by extractive AI algorithms as their childhoods are constructed by social media interactions. They’ve been dropped into a sea of information and given no clear cognitive map for how to navigate these tempestuous waters. Many of their adult parents are equally adrift, swimming blindly into these uncharted waters, unaware of the deep cultural undercurrents and dangerous political riptides. Perhaps tomorrow’s navigators are among the best and brightest of this young generation. Only time will tell.
But in order for this cohort to produce it’s best and brightest, they have to be allowed to live in a society that promotes the “idea” that such a phenomenon should even be allowed to exist. Our current cultural trajectory is steering us towards a future where there is no longer a “best and brightest”—for that might imply some social hierarchy that would oppress those peers who are less gifted, less brilliant, less insightful. Can you imagine if Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison or Steve Jobs was actually discouraged from “thinking differently” for fear of being ostracized by a socially-mandated plurality that demanded an equality of outcomes? That’s a rather bleak picture of a dystopian future that seems to paraly the worst fears of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. That’s the vision of a country that is seemingly unrecognizable as America, but one that is presently being considered. Is this where we’re headed?
Again, only time will tell. But one thing seems certain: without a truly collective effort to preserve our core values, promote new ideas and progress towards necessary social changes, we run the risk of descending into a fractured chaos, in which knee-jerk emotional reactions lead to a national crisis which results in a “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” type of scenario. With all the perspective we’ve gained by examining generations through this astrological lens, we can see how the archetypal integration of each generation is paramount for collective growth and social development. These trying times seem to be calling for a concerted, intergenerational effort, with each cohort stepping into their collective role in the manner appropriate to their current station in life, with a conscious effort to serve the greater good. This big question is: are we all up to the task?
A Second American Revolution … or A Second Civil War?
Over the course of this series, we have taken a hard look at America’s past through a generational lens, aided by certain insights that only an astrological perspective can provide. By focusing on Pluto’s transit through each sign of the zodiac, we have identified a succession of archetypal characteristics being explored and expressed through each succeeding generation, one leading to the next. We’ve observed the lurching forward of a slow yet methodical process, implying an often unconscious yet retroactively visible “meta-narrative” of growth and development. It’s a fascinating process to witness and yields some powerful insights.
But the full nature of the Pluto cycle is even bigger than any one single person or even an entire generation can completely comprehend. Pluto’s 248-year orbit takes nearly three full lifetimes to complete. Therefore, no one born can live long enough to experience a Pluto Return. But a country can.
Interestingly enough, the United States is about to experience its first Pluto Return. In 1776, as the founding fathers were signing the Declaration of Independence at Freedom Hall in Philadelphia, Pluto was at 27º Capricorn. Pluto is set to return to 27º Capricorn in February of 2022. What are the ramifications of our nation experiencing such a grand cosmic event?
In the birth chart of our nation, Pluto is in America’s 2nd House—which is fundamentally concerned with values. In more mundane terms, it is associated with all matters related to money and possessions. So that means that as a nation, America’s values (2nd House) will be subject to extreme political upheaval (Pluto) in matters of social structure and hierarchies (Capricorn). The Pluto in Capricorn archetype essentially symbolizes the values upon which our Republic was formed: a Revolutionary War against an oppressive and authoritarian political system—in the form of British colonial rule—that was unfairly taxing our money and possessions. Our forefathers fought for the values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—but these all had essentially economic underpinnings.
Fast-forward nearly 250 years, and the colonies seem to be once again facing the oppression of economic tyranny and threatened by the rule of an increasingly authoritarian king. Is it ironic, or coincidence, that our current president publicly goaded his overzealous followers at a recent campaign rally to chant “twelve more years!”—a brazen disregard for the U.S. Constitution and it’s quintessential American guarantee of a peaceful transfer of power. This amounts to a sitting U.S. President publicly flaunting a coup d’etat at a Republican Convention being broadcast around the world on national television. WTF?
Wake up, America—you’re about to lose it!
We’ve also seemingly traded the economic tyranny of The British Empire for a new global overlord: multinational corporations playing a game of wealth extraction within a rigged marketplace, propped up by a financial system that’s been deemed “too big to fail.” Recall that this current Pluto in Capricorn era began simultaneously with the Financial Crisis of 2008. Coincidence? Or synchronicity? Did we fix the underlying economic problems that create these recurring boom-and-bust cycles, wherein every few decades a massive wealth transfer is enacted by a cabal of global capitalists who are permitted to legally steal money from a population because they’ve effectively bought and paid for the government and own the politicians? No. We bailed them out, and they profited, and no one went to jail. The wealthiest 1% got richer. The 99% got their economic teeth kicked in. And just twelve short years later, it’s happening again. But this time, behind the smoke screen of a global pandemic, it’s gone on largely unnoticed. The first 6 months of 2020 witnessed the greatest wealth transfer in the history of the world. But CNN, the New York Times and Huffington Post barely mentioned it.
Wake up, America—you’re about to lose it!
Recently, America has woken up somewhat from its collective sleep walk through our recent history. In some ways, the current wave of “wokeness” is an encouraging sign. Reconciling America’s deep and complicated history of racism is long overdue. Confronting corruption in our criminal justice system is a cause every conscientious American can rally behind. Challenging overtly sexist policies that disempower women and prompting greater equality of access among the sexes only benefits the whole of society. Acknowledging that strictly binary gender distinctions might marginalize those who experience their sexuality and selfhood in nonbinary terms makes us all more aware and empathetic. Striving to achieve these goals is undoubtedly a worthwhile endeavor. But the way in which we go about accomplishing those ends is equally as critical. Because the wrong methods can lead to madness.
Which is why the tone of this Pluto in Capricorn era has felt so heavy. The entire structure of society is being challenged, the very notion of democracy is being stress-tested by history, and the future of America—and the world it strives so desperately to lead—is on the line. Those in positions of high power know all too well what’s at stake. The Washington insiders, the wizards of Wall Street, the captains of industry—they all recognize this inflection point for what it is: a winner-take-all battle for world domination. There is a geopolitical wargame being played right now, with many of the wealthiest and most powerful people on the planet fighting for control of the future. But it’s not a conventional war, or even Cold War, but rather a war of ideology, whose battlefield is the global economy and whose weapons are digital technologies. Unfortunately, it’s a classic case of the blind leading the blind.
The diagnosis is pretty dire. Our current model of global capitalism in pursuit of unlimited growth fueled by exponential technology is simply unsustainable. In fact, as Daniel Schmachtenberger presciently recognizes, it actually self-terminates. The end of civilization as we know it. Game over. This specter of a total systems failure looms large. Environmental systems, economic systems, social systems—all collapsing at once. We seem to be drifting headlong into a global catastrophe. Don’t be lured by the myth of the marketplace that the financial wizardry of its “zero sum” game theoretics cannot magically solve these problems, because that is actually the cause of these problems. This is the pied piper leading us off the cliff of history.
The extreme polarization of left-right politics in America is a symptom of this greater ideological war. And the responses from across the political spectrum represent the uneasy sense in the collective that things just aren’t right with the world. There’s an incredible amount of confusion about what the right response should be.
This brings us to a very crucial point. Responses to symptoms are not enough. What we need are solutions to the problems. And that’s a very important distinction. If a doctor only treats symptoms, without recognizing the underlying disease that is the cause of the problem, eventually the patient dies. In this analogy, we are both the patient and the doctor. And we have some serious diagnostics to do if we’re going to survive as a nation, as a planet, and as a species. We will either rise to the occasion and create the conditions for a peaceful second American Revolution, or we will descend into the chaos of a second Civil War. The outcome is entirely up to us.
Think Globally, Act Locally
So the big picture is clearly troubling. An overwhelming sense of disempowerment has justifiably left many of us in a kind of collective paralysis. What can any one person do in the face of these seemingly intractable problems? Well, if this survey of astrological generations has shown us anything, it’s that we are not alone. We all came into this world together as part of a soul collective. And while each one of us is here working on our own issues, learning our own lessons, trying to facilitate the personal evolution of our individual souls, we also share in a collective mission with all our peers, having made a tacit agreement on some astral plane, that we would all incarnate at this time and work together to solve these seemingly intractable problems.
So here we are. Six generations, each with six unique skill sets, each with a particular collection of gifts to offer society. But we only get to share these blessings when we endeavor to listen to, recognize, admire and respect each other. That may sound simple, but the most elegant solutions often are. The need for true civic discourse in this country has never been greater. Hopefully the insights we’ve gleaned here can serve as a framework for new dialogs and discussions. The mere recognition of this holistic unfolding of soul purpose that is trying to manifest within our current generational complex is an important first step. This understanding can empower us to begin to think and act differently in regards to our place in life, in relation to our peers, and with respect to our seniors and juniors.
I encourage you to reflect on your own generation, your current station in life, and consider all the possibilities and potentials, as well as the commitments and obligations your peer group has to society at this time. How are you showing up in the world with respect to your generation? Where have you demonstrated its fullest potential? Where might you be tempted to reflect the shadow side of the archetype? How can you consciously work to represent your peer group and support your collective soul purpose?
Astrological Advice
To the Pluto in Leo generation (now age 64–83): how can you best utilize your collective power to create? You have been such an incredible force of radical self-expression throughout the entirety of your life cycle. You gave us The Beatles and Woodstock. You promoted greater social, political and environmental awareness. You helped engineer a global economy that has allowed you to retire as the wealthiest generation in the history of America.
Now you are being called to transition into the role of our wise elders. What guidance will you provide society? Can you admit to your mistakes as well as take credit for all your successes? Can you help the rest of us navigate the current crisis? Will you find ways to give back to a country that has given you so much? Or will you hoard it all, turn your backs on a country you see as going to hell in a handbasket, and retreat to your gated communities, comforted by the fact that you likely won’t live long enough to experience the worst of what you sense is coming down the road—a scenario you were complicit in creating? We hear that a lot from Boomers, and it unfortunately sounds like the typical narcissistic behavior for which you’ve developed a nasty reputation. Here’s hoping you can find ways to erase that stereotype and achieve your true legacy as a generation that showed us how to create a better world for everyone, and not just themselves.
To the Pluto in Virgo generation (now age 48–64): how can you best utilize your collective power to improve? You’ve been somewhat overlooked as a peer group, but for the most part you’ve methodically moved through life making the best of it, having essentially built the infrastructure of a new digital world along the way. You did it quietly, behind the scenes. But your hard work and entrepreneurial spirit has more recently been recognized, and many members of your cohort now sit at the top of the list of the world’s richest people.
But your generation has also witnessed the greatest widening of disparity between the haves and have nots than any other in the history of America. While some of your cohorts found great success, others met failure and suffered social and economic setbacks at every turn. As a peer group you have moved into the phase of life that has put you at the peak of your combined social, political and economic power. Many of your cohorts are firmly in control of the giant tech companies that have experienced unprecedented growth in the blink of an historical eye, and now possess unthinkable power over a society that has become wholly dependent on the services and technologies they provide.
As a generation, you now have the power to help reshape society, redistribute wealth more equitably and lead the way to leveraging enormous technological resources to find innovative solutions to the seemingly intractable problems facing the planet. Conversely, you could also choose to ignore the many warning signs that this economic juggernaut we’ve been riding is headed for an inevitable collapse, and instead double down on the big gamble and continue in the winner-take-all game of global capitalism that will only exacerbate the disparities. The world is counting on you to muster the collective will to help, to solve, to repair, to improve.
Your elders would quietly acknowledge that they are bequeathing to you a rather broken society that they have no idea how to fix. The younger generations coming up behind you have their own ideas on what’s wrong and how to fix it, but they lack your unique perspective and practical know-how. Yours is a transitional archetype, your generation has lived crossing the bridge between two worlds—the modern 20th century and the increasingly postmodern 21st century. Your collective gift is a patient, practical, and considered analysis of the situation. You are being called to demonstrate your knack for steady leadership and the ability to face the challenges head on, do the hard work, and make yourselves and everyone around you better in the process. Slackers my ass … It’s time to get ‘er done!
To the Pluto in Libra generation (now age 37–48): how can you best utilize your collective power to relate? You may feel like you’ve spent your entire lives in mediation, negotiating difficult relationship dynamics, seeking balance and fairness, searching for that elusive formula that guarantees an equality of outcome for all. You have a preternatural disposition to seek compromise and to make everyone happy. This is your gift, but also your potential blind spot. Efforts to level the playing field may also stamp out the necessary playfulness and competition that allows for growth and innovation.
As a generation you are currently assuming the managerial roles of institutional America, and you’re making your presence felt in academia, government and the corporate sector. Some of you have been at the forefront of many evolving cultural movements—from marriage and gender equality to social justice, Black Lives Matter and Me Too. You have become consciously aware of your power and ability to tip the scales in one direction or the other and effect sweeping social changes. For many of your cohorts who have felt ignored, overlooked, disempowered or disenfranchised, it feels good to finally be seen and heard. And your collective empathy is palpable.
But true to your archetypal nature, you are being called to negotiate a rather massive shift in the collective, and your ability to fulfill your obligation to promote balance and harmony is greatly needed at this time. In navigating these waters, you would be wise to seek the advice of your Pluto in Virgo elders. They’ve seen a bit more of life than you have, and their tendency to take a more practical and cautious approach might serve as a necessary stabilizing force to counter your tendency towards high idealism, which could allow you to come untethered if left unchecked by their more grounded and mature perspective. Take their advice to think critically about your own critical thinking—such self-reflection will be imperative if you are going to achieve your lofty goals.
You’re also feeling the powerful tug of the Pluto in Scorpio generation coming up behind you. They have bought into your campaigns for social justice reform and are willing to take the fight to the streets in revolutionary ways. They hold the majority opinion that the ends justify the means, and you risk being magnetically drawn to their collective power play and desire to radically transform society. They are attempting to absorb your power and channel it into their own agenda. The potential of this Millennial Alliance is very powerful, but potentially very dangerous. While magnetically powerful and persuasive, the Pluto in Scorpio generation is still quite young, and they suffer from a culturally-induced short-sightedness. They’ve been raised in an “everything now” society and feel entitled to the instant gratification of having their needs met. You’re a bit more mature than that, Pluto in Libra, and we need you to collectively recognize that democracy requires slow and steady progress, and is all too fragile in the face of constant cynical criticism. Your generation is being called to negotiate a peaceful transition to the new world that is in the process of being born. I hope you can muster the requisite wisdom, compassion and empathy to help us cross that rainbow bridge to the future.
To the Pluto in Scorpio generation (now age 25–37): how can you best utilize your collective power to transform? You’ve survived a somewhat fragile upbringing and now you’re getting your first taste of real social and political power. It feels good and you want more of it. That’s understandable. But also know that there are things that—as a peer group—you may not as yet fully understand. You’ve come of age in a rapidly changing world, your interactions have been socially-mediated by pervasive technologies and you’ve been able to connect as a cohort like no other generation before you. This indeed makes you unique. You are poised to make an outsized contribution to the reshaping of American society.
In many ways, you already have. At a relatively young age, you’ve come into your own sense of power, seeking to bend the world to your will, exercising your divine birthright to love who you want, how you want, when you want and where you want. You’ve sought to challenge the false binaries of black and white, he and she, straight and gay. You’ve insisted society change to reflect your evolving sense of inclusivity. And we have. Maybe not fast enough for you, but we’re getting there.
You have also challenged other previously held assumptions that were long overdue for reconsideration and reform. You have lashed out at perceived injustices and inequities that have perpetuated dishonest power differentials. As young adults, you have turned your penetrating gaze into the depth of the American psyche and forced us all to confront the dark shadows that lurk in our murky past. As a generation, you have come into this world prepared for such “dark night of the soul” encounters. But you have to understand, not everyone possesses your power to plunge the depths, to endure metamorphosis and emerge on the other end transformed. For those who lack your emotional fortitude, your revolutionary propositions feel like a slippery slope into the depths of hell.
Frankly, your agenda scares the shit out of them.
And they are going to resist you. They are going to push back. Hard.
Of course, you’re prepared for that. You’ve come into this world expecting to be resisted. You’ve come in prepared for a fight, and you’re willing to die on your collective hill. But you also know, perhaps better than anyone else, that with great power comes great responsibility. And channeling the responsible use of your collective power will be one of the great challenges for your generation. Trust me, you are going to contribute to one of the greatest transformations in the history of civilization. It’s just not meant to happen overnight. You would be shrewd to absorb the practical and patient approaches of your Pluto in Virgo generation elders. Despite seemingly like the Centrist Dads trying to put a damper on your aspirations of Millennial Socialism, they actually share your sense of the challenges this life presents. They’ve seen some hard times themselves. They may be reluctant at first to provide you with their leadership and guidance. But trust me, you’ll need it to achieve your goals. So don’t let them off the hook. Insist that they share their gifts. Ask them the hard questions, and give them the time and space to formulate well thought out and properly articulated answers.
You’d also be wise to ally yourselves with the notions of balance and harmony that the Pluto in Libra generation is struggling so desperately to demonstrate to you. They are an incredibly well-intentioned group that truly has everyone’s best interests in mind. Try to empathize with the difficult task of keeping the peace rather than impulsively seeking to upset the apple cart, however rotten those apples may seem. They need you as much as you need them. The potential for this Millennial Alliance is real. The manner in which you bring your collective power to the table will greatly determine whether the outcome is a success or failure. Please wield your superpowers wisely.
To the Pluto in Sagittarius generation (now age 12–25): how can you best utilize your collective power to understand? As the first entirely digital natives, you will have a unique perspective on the world, and as you come of age you will formulate many ideas on how to change it. The best advice I can give to young Pluto in Sagittarius cohorts (and any parents raising them) is to take the time to explore all the options that are being presented to you. No previous generation had been born into this phenomenal experience of having the entire world at your fingertips. As a soul collective, you were born for this. You possess the global awareness, high-mindedness and outside-the-box thinking that characterizes your Pluto in Sagittarius archetype. Go out and see the world. Explore it as much as possible. Follow your curiosity. Engage with foriegn ideas and different perspectives.
But be aware, because there’s also a very real downside to having been born on the frontier of the digital age. The excesses of this wild, wild west of culture are also its pitfalls. We are now swimming in a tidal wave of information and drowning in a sea of data. And like fish who have never known of a life outside of the water, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. The age of information has morphed into an age of disinformation, making it increasingly difficult to make sense of the world. Confusion, distraction, misdirection and polarization have become the new norm. As a generation, you will need to put your archetypal truth-seeking powers to work immediately, if not sooner. Knowing who to listen to, whose advice to take, and what path to follow will be of critical importance to your success as a peer group. Choose poorly and you’ll risk becoming a bunch of intolerant, fanatical nutjobs. We can’t afford that.
So a good source for help with critical thinking will be your Pluto in Virgo elders. I’ve previously referred to them as possessing a generational bullshit detector. You’ll wanna tap into that. As a group known for their straight-talk and no-nonsense approach to life, well-informed and sincere Pluto in Virgo GenXers can be great mentors to you young Pluto in Sag GenZer’s. Some of their advice may seem like a bitter pill to swallow. Choke it down anyway; it’ll be good for you in the long run.
For straight up inspiration and guidance for your loftiest of ambitions, chat up some old Pluto in Leo Baby Boomers. As two fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius share in the sense of having a special destiny to fulfill. In many ways your lives will parallel each other. They will inspire you, and you will inspire them. For you are the generation they’ve been waiting for. They see the same gleam in your eyes that they themselves possessed in their exuberant and optimistic youth. Finally, a generation has come that they’ll deem worthy of caring on the proud mantle of their bold agenda.
And lastly, don’t try to emulate your older Pluto in Scorpio siblings. Society will try and lump many of you together. Resist that temptation. They have a different agenda than you do, and a different collective soul purpose. Let them plow ahead and assert their collective will. They represent a cultural vanguard, while you are more of a rear guard. Don’t worry, that’s how it’s meant to be. They’ll eventually pave the way for you to step in and assert your role. By the time the Pluto in Scorpio generation actually attains the power they so desperately desire, they will turn to you and say: “Ok, we’re in charge, now what do we do?” By then you’ll have had time to figure some things out. And you’ll have formulated some pretty good answers. That’s when you’ll be giving a platform to launch your big ideas. I hope I’m still around to see what you come up with—it could be pretty spectacular.
To every generation:
Get out of your bubble! Seek out people who hold opinions with which you disagree, and see if you can find a way to some common ground. You likely won’t have to look very far: so many of us have experienced a “falling out” with members of our own families or immediate social circles over ideological differences. Seek to repair those relationships, no matter how difficult. Be the bigger person, take the higher ground. You’ll be better for the effort.
Work together with members of your own peer group to foster a greater awareness of your collective soul purpose. Acknowledge your shared vision, reconcile your differences of opinion and approach and support each other in achieving your personal goals. Realize we’re all in it together and work with everyone’s best interests in mind.
Listen to the advice of your elders.
Mentor someone from a younger generation.
Engage in real civic discourse—both online and offline.
Love yourselves, and love each other.
And lastly, consider an astrology reading from a trusted and well-qualified astrologer. If you’ve never had your chart read, it can be an eye-opening and life affirming experience. It can offer a pathway to reclaim parts of yourself that have been denied or suppressed and serve to reignite a deeper connection to your own sense of destiny. Often this fosters a desire to learn to read and interpret the symbols of your birth chart for yourself. Trust me, you’ll find this enormously valuable. At a minimum, find out where Pluto falls in your chart. This will help you focus on the area of your life where you’re being called to fulfill your individual soul purpose (indicated by Pluto’s house position) in alignment with the collective soul purpose of your generation (indicated by Pluto’s sign).
Good luck. Hope to see you back out there IRL soon.
