The Best Generation – Part 12 – On The Generations
Originally known by the placeholder “Generation Y” to indicate those who came after X (initiate Blank Generation eye-rolling here), this cohort was renamed as the “Millennials” because the youngest of them were the people who turned 18 years of age and ostensibly entered adulthood at the Turn of the Millennium in the year 2000. In the United States of America they were also the largest generation since the Baby Boom and as such were likewise destined to become a demographic force whose influence upon society and culture would be dramatic.
Many things have been said about the Millennial Generation, being a large cohort who had the good fortune to come of age just as the information space was at its peak. One could spend endless hours digesting the think-pieces, “studies,” and bright-eyed analysis that guaranteed readership in the mid-late 2000’s yet still find yourself not quite sure what they are all about. That is because none of that writing is any good. In service to completeness in understanding let’s agree to clap our hands and clear our minds of all of that and take a look at this cohort with clear eyes. Perhaps by doing so we will discover the answer to why they have been so compelling to discuss yet so elusive to understand.
First let’s explore their ways of thinking, aesthetics, and values. These are determined by their generational placements:
The Millennial generation officially begins on November 29, 1982 and the last of them were born on January 11, 1996. While the first two years feature some carry-over placement from previous generations in Neptune and Pluto, the large majority of the cohort shares Neptune in Capricorn and Pluto in Scorpio. The early part of the generation has Uranus in Sagittarius and the later part has Uranus in Capricorn, co-present with Neptune. Let’s explore what these mean:
Uranus tells us how these people think
Neptune tells us about their aesthetics
Pluto tells us what they value
Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign, ruled by the Saturn. It is interested in observing boundaries and implementing substantial things within those boundaries. Neptune is showing us how these people want things to be and how they wish them to appear. Neptune is the dissolver and it will make matters in this area fuzzier, unclear, dreamy, and often delusional. With Neptune in Capricorn we should expect an aesthetic sense rooted in timeless, conventional achievement. It is an earth sign so it will be very focused on producing tangible things in the real world as evidence for their aesthetic sensibility. Projecting the image of success will be paramount and we can expect a more traditional and classic approach overall.
The first seven-year group has Uranus in the sign of Sagittarius, which is the mutable fire sign ruled by Jupiter. It is curious, adventurous, and optimistic. Uranus is the disruptor and it will make matters in its sign more charged, shocking, and unpredictable. With Uranus in Sagittarius we should expect a way of thinking that is aggressively experiential and driven to exploration. The action of Uranus is somewhat compatible with the Sagittarius nature and they work to propel each other sort of like alternating current. These people will be quick to excite and will be very confident in their own ideas, and when disrupted these people will change direction. The downsides will be inconsistency and lack of focus. Overall this will be a very optimistic mentality.
Owing to the changing Neptune and Pluto this Uranus in Sagittarius cohort can be broken up into two distinct parts. The first part – those born in late 1982, 1983 and most of 1984 – will exhibit the same Pluto in Libra value system as the Blank Generation and Gen X2 while also maintaining the same aesthetic sense with Neptune in Sagittarius. This is however modified by the co-presence with Uranus in that sign, creating a close tie-in between the way of thinking and the aesthetics. Their stylistic approach will be the same but with more surprising flourishes and a more adventurous expression while their thinking will be shallower and more image-based. Neptune harms Uranus by co-presence giving a lack of clarity which may explain the term “YOLO,” which I assert originated with this sub-cohort. In comparison to their immediate predecessors in the Blank Generation this group will lack the strategic and depth-based thinking of Uranus in Scorpio while being overly interested in the aesthetics of their time. The Blank Generation will be thus inclined to describe them as posers. On the other hand, post-1984 Uranus in Sag will relate to their way of thinking and and understand them to be more akin to throwbacks. It is this group for whom the appellation “Xennial” is actually rather appropriate.
By comparison, the post-1984 Uranus in Sagittarius cohort is the least afflicted of the Millennials as their way of thinking is unmitigated by a Neptune/Uranus co-presence that the “Xennials” and later Uranus in Capricorn groups share. The primary difference in thinking with the Xennials will be a clearer expression of the experiential and exploratory traits of Uranus in Sagittarius and a distinctive hopefulness. On the downside they may be prone to disappointment when their intellectual ambition does not carry the day.
The second seven-year group has Uranus in Capricorn, the cardinal earth sign ruled by Saturn. This is modified by the co-presence with Neptune and is, to be direct, a rather unfortunate placement. When Uranus the disruptor interacts with Capricorn it disrupts that which is least appealing to have disrupted. In Capricorn we are evaluating the rules and taking action based upon that evaluation. The goal in Capricorn is to establish tangible things within planned and defined borders and timescales. Uranus here is disrupting the ability to think clearly about the circumstances one finds themselves in as well as how to go about accomplishing things. The common outcome we can expect is great self-doubt. On the positive side we should expect this cohort to capable refiners of structures that have stood the test of time. The real challenge here is that Neptune is also in Capricorn, creating a situation where the things that they most aesthetically value are also the things which they are least equipped to generate. Neptune in Capricorn elevates the old-timey, traditional things while also making it very difficult to see those things clearly and as they really are. Combined with Uranus this makes it very difficult to understand how things actually are. The combined effect is that this cohort will have a very difficult time accurately reading the room or sizing up the situation, while at the same time thinking and wanting to act upon that room or situation. They will frequently be confused and will be prone to failure as a result of taking action upon things which they are ill-equipped to fully understand.
And then there is Pluto in Scorpio. Pluto is the magnifier and it will exaggerate the characteristics of the sign which it is in. Scorpio is the fixed Water sign ruled by Mars and with Pluto in Scorpio we should expect a value system that demands depth and totality of experience while also being stubbornly protective. Mars wants to divide and penetrate in order to prepare the way for the fixed water to receive. Pluto takes this and escalates the situation. Pluto in Scorpio can be expected to value drama, intensity, edginess, and security. The values of this cohort will be linked with the depth of experience something provides because they will want to explore things completely in order to determine if they are safe, so the degree to which something has been explored will be their primary measuring stick against which to weigh its merits. They will have established values forged through intense experience and these will remain rigid and resistant to challenge, and they will come to value intense experience for its own sake. The orientation toward completeness in Scorpio will demand that all things are included. In times of challenge and disruption the Millennial will choose to respond based upon their primary value and will invariably take the option that presents the least personal risk, as that is what is most important to them.
The Millennial thinks of themselves as highly capable, emotionally deep, and respectable. If they perceive that they are failing to meet one of these standards then that will be the source of their discontentment. As is the case with all generations they will see these ways of being as normal, and if you understand what is normal for them you will have greater success communicating with them. When interacting with a Millennial these are the key things to do for best results:
Uranus in Sagittarius – acknowledge their innovative ideas
Uranus in Capricorn – acknowledge their effort
Neptune in Capricorn – agree with them even though they are wrong
Pluto in Scorpio – appreciate their willingness to get involved
As with all generations, on an individual basis outcomes in these areas will be modified by personal planets and the dignity of the ruling planet of the sign. All born under this generational configuration will possess these traits but they may be expressed more positively, negatively, grandly or slightly, depending on the personal chart. We’ll discuss how that works later in this series but the foundational placements as presented here will always be present in those born under this configuration.
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