Part 2 – On The Generations
A “generation” is defined as a group of people born during a common period of time. It is generally thought to roughly correspond with the reproductive ages of people – one generation comes of age and begins to have children. Their children’s age group is the following generation, ad infinitum. It is notable here that in the popular conception precise cut-off lines that divide generations are absent and there is not an agreed upon specific length of time that encapsulates a single generation. Ask a person on the street in which year a generation shifts to the next one and you will likely find a range as wide as five years. Ask them for how many years a generation lasts and they will be unable to pin down a number that encapsulates the generations they have known throughout their lives. In order to fully define generations it is therefore necessary to first provide an accounting of their boundaries and this requires a measurement of time that can be shown to accurately reflect the clear differences between them.
To accomplish this we use the ancient Greek calendar of zodiacal astrology, which measures time using twelve variables rather than the single variable of our common annual calendar. The zodiacal calendar and system provides us with more information beyond just dates, and throughout this series it will give us enormous insight into the generational characters we observe around us. Regarding the dates, analysis of the calendar shows that generational cohorts are primarily 14 years in length and are based around seven-year Uranus periods. Because five planetary periods are needed to determine the boundaries of a cohort it sometimes emerges that a 14-year generation can be split into two seven year generations, as we find among our current cohorts. Additionally, during transitional years the generational cohort can switch back and forth frequently before changing completely. (There will be an additional article delving in to the full technical analysis of how all of this is determined, for those who are interested).
With that in mind, let’s introduce the current generations:
Baby Boomer: May 16, 1942 – 1956
Generation Jones: 1956 – August 9, 1962
Generation X: August 10, 1962 – September 8, 1975
Blank Generation: 1975 – November 28, 1982
Millennial: November 29, 1982 – January 11, 1996
Gen Z: January 12, 1996 – March 11, 2011
Gen Alpha: March 12, 2011 – July 7, 2025
Using the zodiacal calendar to analyze the time periods we can clearly see the aforementioned split generation. In the late 1950’s, immediately following the Baby Boomers, there was a new cohort which at the time was widely recognized to differ from those who came before. This differentiation was often discussed and the group was named “Generation Jones.” In recent years this group has frequently been included with the Baby Boomers but I think we do a service to both by recovering them as an independent cohort.
More intriguingly we can also identify a unique cohort following Generation X which has been entirely overlooked, usually lazily tossed-in with Generation X or more cruelly with the Millennials. This cohort has been so completely ignored that it is necessary to actually name it for the first time. A popular song from that time serves to perfectly represent the unnamed and overlooked nature of this cohort. They are the ____ Generation, indeed.
Regarding the Baby Boomer generation, the calendar shows us that they are not merely a post-war phenomenon but rather the earliest boomers were born during WW2. Additionally we gain greater clarity into their generational characteristics by decisively separating them from the later Generation Jones. Millennials are similarly framed-in, with the proper start-date for their cohort firmly established by recognizing the Blank Generation who precede them. This should not be controversial considering that the Millennials were named as such because they were first becoming adults at the turn of the Millennium, making them 18 years old in the year 2000. Their dividing line with Gen Z is somewhat wide, encompassing much of 1996 and 1997, but after the shift occurs it is probably the most clearly defined change between currently living generations. Persons born after 1998 are certainly of a different nature than the Millennials who precede them.
The differences between these groups in terms of their life experiences, world view, and expectations are significant, real, and important. By understanding these differences we can identify and bridge gaps in communication between them while fostering greater respect for our elders, our youth, our contemporaries, and even ourselves. There is much to come in this series – we have merely scratched the surface.
The start time for Generation Jones is in the year 1956, but swings wildly in the span of weeks or months. Those born during that year can easily end up in either group, depending on their date of birth, and the line between Generation X and the Blank Generation in 1975 is also somewhat poriferous. This is a common occurrence during transitional periods and the dates shown here reflect times after which the great majority of births will be in the assigned cohort. The exceptions will usually be placed into the earlier cohort. The forthcoming technical discussion of the generational criteria will include specific dates during these years as well as for other transitional eras, for those who are interested.
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