Oh, how generational beef has always been the hallmark to our hyper-competitive society. First it was Boomers versus Millennials. Now it’s Millennials versus Zoomers. Just when we thought there were bigger issues in the world, now we’re arguing over hair parts.

Okay, anyways.

The generation we belong to is part of our personal identities on far more levels than we like to admit. The world we’re born into and inherit is something that each generation shares among its members. In turn, it comes with new social and cultural trends that shape a generation.

So how does astrology play into this?

Interestingly, the estimated dates for each cohort almost lines up with how long a Pluto cycle takes. Each generation is denoted as a specific Pluto sign, similar to how individuals have a Sun sign. Matter of fact, all of the outer planets in astrology are considered generational planets because they spend so much time in one zodiac sign. Our birth charts change depending on the time, day, and month. However, outer planets are shared in the charts of all members of a generation.

Pluto is the big bad wolf of the planets. It takes about 248 years to complete a revolution around the Sun. Meaning it spends anywhere between 12 to 23 years in one zodiac sign. Pluto is associated with demographics, birth rates, death rates, fears, politics, transformation, and the overall collective unconscious. It appeals to the best and worst of human instinct beyond impulse or temperament, but the darkness that creeps inside all of us. Therefore, the Pluto sign of one’s generation typically reveals the biggest issues that collectively affect it the most.

However, you can’t quite understand the Pluto generations without understanding Uranus and Neptune. Uranus is the higher octave of Mercury, while Neptune is the higher octave of Venus.

Uranus presides over the collective conscious. Social media, Internet, social issues, global relations, technology, science, natural disasters, and social trends are all under Uranus’s domain. It offers insight on how in and out trends shape the thinking of our generation.

Neptune presides over the collective subconscious. The industries that drive pop culture and the public imagination are all under Neptune’s domain. This includes film, art, sports, fashion, religion, etc. It reveals what we value about the world around us through cultural trends.

Uranus takes 7-8 years in a zodiac sign while Neptune spends about 14-15 years, meaning each generation typically has two sides based on their Uranus sign. Likewise, Neptune’s length in a sign almost equals the Uranus and Pluto cycles.

Also note that you might have a different Pluto sign depending on whether you were born during a Pluto retrograde. Pluto retrograde happens every year for about 4-5 months at a time. Those born during a Pluto retrograde may wonder why they feel out of place in their generation. Of course, this is mostly seen with those who were born during the “cusp” years of each generation. If you’re unsure what your Pluto sign is, you can generate your birth chart here.

What does astrology say about our current generations? Let’s take a look.

Pluto in Sagittarius — Generation Z (1996-2009)

Uranus in Aquarius & Pisces | Neptune in Aquarius

Say hello to our generation of K-pop stans and young activists who are fighting for our future. Sagittarius and Pisces, both traditional co-rulers of Jupiter, are associated with enlightenment, higher education, and culture, all while Sagittarius, Aquarius, and Pisces are the global-minded signs. Aquarius is specifically the ruler of the Internet, social media, revolution, and futurism. Generation Z is as enterprising as they are rebellious, which is fitting for the signs associated with expansion and freedom.

The ‘90s may have been a period of nostalgia worldwide, but Zoomers are the ones who truly exhibit the vaporwave spunky style even today. Pluto in Sag overtakes Millennials as the social media generation. Let’s just say there’s an app for everything with this generation. As Sagittarius rules the hips and upper legs, it makes sense why Zoomers also make dance TikTok work for them a lot better than Millennials do, not to mention showing up to protests with dance squads ready to dance off.

As the globalization generation, these kids are connecting with communities around the world with the click of a button. They’re the types who subscribe to Babble so they can interact with their new friends online. In turn, they’re far less adverse to non-English music and media, all of which led to a new wave of creators and artists who are integrating different languages into its music. Young K-pop and hip hop stars are blending English with native tongues, such as Korean and Spanish, as a means to connect a global audience.

While less akin to higher education, they seize on the accessibility of online information and are more willing to pursue a nontraditional route. Many think traditional education is pointless because it doesn’t offer them the stimulation they need. In my experience, Gen Z is more drawn to topics with a social focus similar to Millennials.

Gen Z is arguably the most civically engaged generation. They participate in civics despite many not being able to vote. They bought out a Trump rally so no one would show up while organizing millions across the world to protest climate change. Most of the American Founding Fathers were part of Pluto in Sagittarius generation back then.

While people attribute the frugal spending habits of Zoomers to the economic recession they were brought up in, I argue it has more to do with being more overwhelmed with the convenience driven culture of technology and the 21st century. Their constant need for stimulation made fast fashion and online media more desirable than it did for Millennials. Availability to cheaper alternatives doesn’t necessarily mean “frugal”. Of course, affordability for them means they can be frugal as well. Only recently did Gen Z decide to oust fast fashion because of its horrific truths.

Gen Z has a sense of unity that is both promising and dangerous, for better or worse. They have each other as mass support systems, which brings a new level of accountability and transparency to public discourse. However, cancel culture can also come with a mob mentality, though Zoomers are equally as mutable and are open to changing their minds given they have new information. Gen Z is still considerably young, but so far, they’ve showed up and impressed us with what they’re capable of.

Pluto in Scorpio — Millennials (1983-1995)

Uranus in Sagittarius & Capricorn | Neptune in Capricorn

Ah, need not forget what inspired Zoomers to break free and breakthrough—the Millennial generation. Scorpio and Capricorn are famously the noirceur signs of the zodiac. Who lived through the iconic but short lived 90s grunge scene? An iconic Millennial moment that highlighted the defining traits of this generation. Millennials grew up consuming the anti-establishment pop culture and politics of their Gen X parents. While their parents were revolutionizing old school hip hop and rock, Millennials came in hot with rock revival and boy bands. So no, Gen Z, Millennials will not do away with the skinny jeans.

Scorpio is the sign of debts, taxes, and transformation. Sagittarius is the sign of higher education. How uncoincidental it is that Millennials are the generation who is toppled with the most student debts with draining taxes in programs they will unlikely have access to later on, such as Social Security. Despite the debts, however, being the most educated generation pays off in its own right. Sagittarius and Capricorn, nonetheless, are the socially conscious yet anti-establishment signs.

Are Millennials actually “entitled”, or are they just demanding what they deserve because they’re flat out sick of being short handed? After all, Millennials are the most educated generation in history and reportedly earn about 20% less than Boomers and Gen Xers at a young age in a world that has exponentially increased its wealth. Millennials are rightfully a bit dark and cynical. Both Millennials and Gen Z focus on social experience and normalize therapy because of the constant gaslighting from older generations.

Despite popular beliefs, Millennials are more pragmatic and frugal than Gen Z. Millennials are the quality over quantity type. Not only are Millennials willing to pay more for something of higher value and take care of it, this is the generation who made minimalism cool in a world of overconsumption. Capricorn is about preservation and sustainability, while Sagittarius makes them equally as revolutionary. Millennials are values-based consumers who only buy from brands who match their values.

Scorpio is well known for its associations with sex, secrets, death, and taboos. First of all, leave it to the Pluto in Scorpio generation to normalize a platform like OnlyFans. Millennials are the generation of body positivity that embraces self-worth and sexuality on an unprecedented scale. Though LGBTQ+ still faces its unique set of issues, more people now than ever, mainly Millennials and Gen Z, either identify as LGBTQ+ or as an ally of the community. Likewise, more Millennials are outspoken about respecting and paying sex workers, especially in recent years, as the Millennial cohort outspends even older generations in porn consumption.

Millennials have an online prowess as well. Of course, while Zoomers reign over TikTok, no one can run a true crime podcast the way Millennials can. Gen Z might be the TikTok generation, but Millennials are the YouTube generation. Most of Gen Z never experienced the short-lived YikYak era— the anonymous local platform that was shut down because of its ruthlessness.

Sure, Millennials have a lot of feelings, but they worked hard for that participation trophy. Soon enough it will be Millennials who are leading the way towards social change, as this is a generation of leaders and organizers.

Pluto in Libra — Generation X (1971-1983)

Uranus in Scorpio & Sagittarius | Neptune in Sagittarius

Let’s move to the groove, as this is our true blue MTV generation! Libra is the sign of justice and social values, but it also rules balance and peace. The happy go lucky Generation X seems to have the least to complain about. Even if they felt some of the exceeding pressures that Millennials do today, these folks are all good as long as you keep your paws off their 401K and Sirius XM radio.

Regarding the Gen X cultural legacy, they used music and media as a means of social confrontation. While Boomers evolved blues into rap, it was Gen X— in Libra fashion— who influenced the art and culture of this time through a message built on social justice. The same goes for K-pop, inspired by American hip hop, that reshaped a unique South Korean cultural identity.

There’s a reason Gen X is rarely caught in the crossfire of heated generational battles—they typically mind their own business. Their laissez-faire mindset translates to a wider leniency towards other people’s differences. As the doves versus hawks generation who lived through the Cold War, they eventually experienced a burnout effect with being on edge from the wishy washy times they were brought up in. In turn, they value comfort, stability, and mutual respect.

Despite the slight complacency that comes from not intervening in conflict, they’re better known for their accommodating attitude with parenting and work. Gen Xers are the ones who made empathy, critical questions, and constructive feedback a commonplace practice. After all, they’re the first to grow up with integrated schools, sports teams, and public spaces. The cultural revolutions from the post-WWII era normalized diversity among their social groups more than previous cohorts. Meaning Gen Xers, though accommodating, often spoke little about their differences with others as an attempt to accept each other.

An un-politically correct generation who didn’t realize this about themselves until more recent years. Though intellectually curious, the noise of older generations muted Gen Xers in their upbringing. The only thing they ever felt entitled to was a personal opinion, as they typically had to comply with the status quo around “hard work” if they wanted to succeed. They had to work harder and longer than the previous Boomer generation, serving overseas in ‘pointless’ wars or working lower wage for a company just to afford an education.

Many sought higher education or independent work just so they had an outlet for their own ideas and passions. Even if Gen X has a high educational attainment, they are also more pushy on their kids to get a college education, largely because they feel it was less accessible to them than it is for today’s younger generations.

Many Gen Xers had fewer leadership opportunities because older generations held these positions far longer than they should have. Entrepreneurial and people minded, Gen Xers are finally able to lead difficult conversations they spent much of their lives trying to understand for themselves. Not having the same amplification as other generations, nonetheless, means they typically listened more than they spoke. Even if younger generations feel they could’ve done more, Gen X showed up as much as they were able to. Today, however, we’re seeing a shift with Gen Xers stepping into their potential and leading the way.

Pluto in Virgo — Generation V (1958-1971)

Uranus in Libra & Scorpio | Neptune in Scorpio

The Boomers, who insist they aren’t Boomers, or that they’re the “cool Boomer”? Meet Gen V, the generation you’ve never heard of. According to astrology, there should be a generation between Boomers and Gen X who take on different characteristics. Gen V is most notable for their dexterity and ability to do more with less. Civil rights and technology are the A-game of this generation. The tech savvy cohort we typically associate with the older half of Gen X and younger half of Boomers is predominantly Gen V.

The impacts of war were expressed through the dark and taboo pop cultural influences of Neptune in Scorpio. Scorpio is associated with rebirth, death, sex, cults, debts, magic, DNA, and the occult. Gen V is an eccentric generation who embraced the New Age counterculture movement of the 1960s-1970s. Gen V is the rock and roll revolutionary who, along with Gen X, brought a new meaning to ‘electric’ in areas of film and music. The electric guitar and keyboard was the center of music composition. Techno thriller, horror, and war dominated the cultural landscape of film, music, and art. Uranus in Libra, which is the sign of beauty and justice, may explain the concept of ‘glam metal’.

In a time of occult obsession, however, death and rebirth dramatically shaped the public imagination. While similar magic was seen in a new era of digital code and DNA technology, the era of serial killers and cults during the 1960s-1970s was a phenomena that both terrified and fascinated this generation. Millennials might be the best true crime storytellers, but Gen V is the true crime generation. The trauma from this period inspired a generation of forensic scientists, psychologists, crime investigators, and genetic engineers who are credited for breakthrough technologies in science today.

However, this is a generation also built on convenience because of their proclaimed simplicity. While younger generations are more tech savvy, Gen V has more money to spend on convenience. The older half of Gen X is known to be the largest online shopping cohort, even surpassing Millennials and Zoomers. These are the penny pinchers who are widely known for hoarding tendencies. Hoarding or lack thereof was collectively an unconscious response to what seemed to be a growing “communist” influence around the globe throughout the 1950s-1970s. In turn, Gen V feared everything they worked hard for was at jeopardy. Even as the issue passed, this tendency became a norm that some in this generation didn’t outgrow.

Training for the threat of war plus immigration reform during the Cold War created a generation of tech developers, aviators, researchers, doctors, and engineers. Hence, Virgo rules commerce, health, and labor. Gen V has centered their legacy on improving the world through practicality and utility. They revolutionized e-commerce, transportation, medicine, and technology that makes our world go around to this day. In my opinion, this cohort relates more to our understanding of Boomers than the Pluto in Leo generation.

Pluto in Leo — Boomers (1939-1958)

Uranus in Gemini & Cancer | Neptune in Libra

Boomers: the ones everyone loves to hate yet hates to love. Leo, the sign of children and fertility, is quite fitting for the term ‘baby boom’. Leo is the sign associated with royalty, entertainment, celebrities, love, leisure, sports, toys, parties, and creativity. Note that Boomer dates listed everywhere else don’t line up with Pluto in Leo dates. Much of these social and cultural developments happened throughout the war, which highlights the traits of this generation.

Though Boomers have built a society that revolves around them in Leo-like fashion, the big contribution of their generation is how they globalized pop culture, media, beauty, film, and entertainment. Post-WWII era opened new avenues for leisure time with the rise of automation. The television and radio are both relatively new inventions, which revolutionized everything from political communications to pop culture. Hollywood started in 1903 but turned into a cultural lexicon come the 1930s. It was Boomers who truly capitalized on the idea of cultural commodification and the “attention economy”.

Gemini rules media and press, while Cancer rules music and home life. Thanks to the feminist Pluto in Cancer generation, society revolutionized on the home front while troops were away during the first world war. The war efforts limited the materials for traditional clothing, which inspired the iconic pin-up fashion that is timeless even today. Athleisure took a new turn in the 1930s-1950s as a result. Both men and women sought new norms around casually wearing shorts or comfort clothes. Speaking of sports, the classic pastimes of sports was also a defining moment of this generation’s legacy.

It’s safe to say the Pluto in Leo generation is full of natural romantics and creators. Their escapism through romantic comedy is very much reflected through Neptune in Libra. Libra rules beauty and relationships. Beauty was a means for women to empower their freedom and self expression rather than for the male gaze. On one hand, the harsh social conditions of this time brought creators, athletes, and artists together from all races and orientations that later inspired the Civil Rights Movement. On another hand, the fact it took the marginalized to be center stage in the arts to gain freedom reflects the cultural consumption and therefore objectification of the ‘other’.

It’s also worth noting that Pluto in Leo was a generation full of astrologers who used media and new technologies to bring astrology to pop culture, especially as the “hip” culture from Woodstock to the New Age movement arrived in the 1960s-1970s. Same goes for astronomy, as this generation lived through the entirety of the space race. The discovery of Pluto in 1930 was a game changer for astrology, and this generation of astrologers were among the first to include it in our study.

While it’s easy to get frustrated with Boomers, they do have bragging rights over the cultural revival that we benefit from today. Even if that means Boomers over-inflate their own image and sense of entitlement because they’re beyond proud of their generation’s accomplishments (ahem, Pluto in Leo). So when we say “Okay Boomer”, what we really mean is “OKAAAY Boomer, we see you!”

Pluto in Cancer — Silent Gen (1913-1939)

Uranus in Pisces, Aries & Taurus | Neptune in Leo & Virgo

Some might associate the beginning years with the end of Greatest Gen. However, this isn’t true according to Pluto generations. Cancer is the sign of femininity, motherhood, family, and domestic life. Pluto in Cancer was the reign of matriarchy, baby! Besides the fact nationalism was one of the contributing factors to two global wars, the rise of women taking on the role of worker and caretaker opened their eyes to what fulfillment means to them. Men going off to fight in the first world war meant that women were in charge of domestic and work life, which turned a historic moment into a movement.

Victory in WWI ushered in the “Roaring ‘20s” that marked a period of sexual and social liberation. Marilyn Monroe is the hallmark of Neptune in Leo. Leo rules love, celebrations, entertainment, sex appeal, pop culture, gambling, youth, and creativity. The temporary economic boom created a culture around gambling, drinking, sexual experimentation, fun, and lavish lifestyles. This includes the juke joints that acted as a haven for Black Americans in the South, which soon led to the popularization of blues and jazz in the early 1920s. Noting that Cancer, ruled by the Moon, is associated with music and food. American food culture as we know it, from fast food to soul food, was a product of Silent Gen (despite the claim it started in the 1960s).

At home technologies during this period granted women more leisure time. Women also gained suffrage in 1919. A chunk of the 20th century’s most influential feminists all have Pluto in Cancer. As Cancer also rules home and family life, this generation overall invested into owning a house and land to ensure their family had property to inherit.

Everything about Silent Gen is homemade and home grown, from family traditions to recipes. While they traditionally have a nationalist view of politics and economics, it has more to do with a much deeper concern around providing for family because both world wars were utterly traumatizing for their generation. This attitude is typically universal, not just limited to Americans.

Silent Gen is far from silent and forgotten. They carry the legacy of Gatsby and civil protest. The true definition of a generation who relentlessly fought for their families and future generations more than they did for themselves. Our grandparents’ generation has a wealth of wisdom from their experiences during the most radical time in human history— never will this generation have a quiet place in history.