Why Millennials Don't Want Grandma's China (according to Astrology)
Did you know that there is an astrological culprit for why your boomer mom wants to “go through boxes” with you every time you visit?
I’d like to cite the Great Mutation of the Jupiter-Saturn cycle.
But before we unpack that box, we need to acknowledge the elephant in the room. Undoubtedly, there are major economic implications for this imbalance of priority between generations. Namely, the economy of the 1980’s provided an environment which made it easier for the Boomers to prosper. They married young, bought houses earlier and had an easier time supporting a family on a single income. Many enjoyed benefits like healthcare for the whole family and an annual vacation. Life was sweet. Those of us who grew up watching Nickelodeon can attest. Millennials on the other hand, have run into repeated economic setbacks as we strive to get our own lives started, squelching the dazzling dream dangled in front of our eyes since childhood. Millennials now reach the age of 40. According to the Federal Reserve, Millennials own less than 8% of the nation’s wealth, while Boomers at this same age owned 25% of the nation’s wealth. That means that Boomers were 3 times wealthier than Millennials are presently. No wonder it is taking us longer to settle down.
Could this economic disparity point to the tension between generations?
Absolutely. But as always, astrology provides its own angle.
Modern astrology identifies what we call “Pluto generations.” Pluto in Cancer represents the Silent Generation, Pluto in Leo, the Baby Boomers, Pluto in Libra is Gen X and Pluto in Scorpio are the Millennials. Pluto in Sagittarius belongs to Gen Z, while Pluto in Capricorn is Generation Alpha. The jury is still out on referring to the Pluto in Aquarius squad as Generation Beta, but time will tell. Many have pointed out a tension within this system as well: Leo (Boomers) squares Scorpio (Millennials). Squares indicate tension, friction and often an issue that needs solving.
Prior to the discovery of Pluto in 1930, astrologers employed various timelord systems, ingress charts and celestial phenomena to decipher the spirit of the age. The ancients devoted special attention to the movements of Jupiter and Saturn – our slowest “wandering stars” to the unassisted human eye.
Jupiter and Saturn conjoin once every 20 years – a timeframe commonly understood in the modern era as a generation. But here’s the fascinating part: Jupiter and Saturn will perpetually conjoin in the same element for about 240 years! Then, there is a greater conjunction known as The Great Mutation when Jupiter and Saturn make their first conjunction in a new element. There is usually one additional regression (sometimes two) of the conjunction back into the previous element before firmly rooting themselves in the succeeding element for the next 220 years or so. Abu Mashar, a 9th century medieval Islamicate astrologer, was the first astrologer to fully develop these ideas which were originated by his predecessors, Al-Kindi and Masha’allah. Abu Ma’shar also identified a 960-year cycle in which the Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions would cycle through all 4 elements and return to the beginning of the cycle in Aries. This is not an exact number, but this was the figure he came up with in the 9th century in the medieval metropolis of Baghdad – an era robust in scientific, medicinal, mathematical and cosmological breakthroughs. Like almost everything Abu Mashar did, this was a highly impressive undertaking of study. He wrote extensively about this cycle and world astrology in general.
Essentially, each elemental epoch defines the spirit of the era. These elemental epochs span several generations, carving out a systemic value system and collective emphasis. The Fire epoch coincides with religious zeal and the advent of new religions – as well as groundbreaking discoveries in sciences (the Islamicate Golden Age and the Scientific Revolution), while Earth epochs correspond with the accumulation of resources, development and exploitation of lands and materials (Dark Ages and the Industrial Robber baron era of the 19th century). Air eras emphasize education, ideas, movement of peoples, redrawing of national boundaries, invention, and technology – as well as pandemics (the Bubonic Plague led to the creation of the artisan class). Lastly, we’ve seen water epochs correspond with periods of seafaring, discovery and the flourishing of arts, poetry and music (the Renaissance).
As of December 21st, 2020, we have officially transitioned into the Air epoch from the Earth epoch.
We entered the Earth epoch in 1802 with a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Virgo. This would have been considered the Great Mutation. 1821 saw a regressive conjunction back into the Fire element, while 1842’s Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn solidified the cycle’s stance in the earth element until 1980 when we saw another Great Mutation in Air, specifically in the sign of Libra. The year 2000 brought a final regressive conjunction in Taurus, the earth element. 2020 saw the return of a Jupiter-Saturn alignment in Aquarius on 12/21/20, officially rooting us in the epoch of air.
Not many people have the privilege to witness an epochal elemental shift unfold, but indeed, it’s happening before our eyes. It’s possible that this shift is to blame for some of the tensions between generations. But beyond that, many of us feel an incredible tension between the old ways and the need to completely overhaul the infrastructure of our world to adapt to the new needs of our civilization and planet.
William Lilly, an astrologer who lived and practiced in 17th century England, also wrote about the Great Conjunction. Lilly frequently drew upon texts translated into Latin from the Persianate tradition. Thus, it’s extremely likely that Abu Mashar’s ideas on the Great Conjunction influenced Lilly’s understanding. Lilly himself lived during the shift from the water elemental epoch to the fire element and commented on how the Great Conjunctions represented the end of one order of rulership and the birth of another. He also noted the differences and subsequent tensions between peoples born of the different eras. When I was studying with Dr. Lee Lehman in 2020, she pointed this out and linked it to the tension between Boomers and Millennials. I believe she said that Lilly too commented on the tensions between the generations of his time.
The 1980 conjunction in Libra (air) introduced us to the present cashless society – from credit cards to PayPal – as well as the INTERNET, the desktop computer, mobile phone and beyond. We are becoming an increasingly technological society. Since the second air conjunction in 2020, remote work has opened the doors for more folks to live in other countries and travel more frequently. We can expect to see an educational renaissance, new inventions (hello, AI) and the redrawing of national boundaries in the next 200 years. Look no further than Brexit and looming talks of secession in the States.
For those of us born since 1980, we grew up in a world which valued accumulation, collecting, and saving, yet as many of us come of age, we realize that our values clash with those of our parents. Like the feathery air element, we tend to be more detached from the specialness of Great Grandma’s China collection. But perhaps it’s also because we have nowhere to put it? (It could also be the lead.) We are the most educated of any other generation and yet we have less square footage to our name. We upload all of our photos onto a cloud (air!) or a hard drive and forego the spatial burden of photo album. We donate what is no longer useful and we tend to buy quality items over quantity. We despite tchotchkes. We loathe useless odds and ends given (and received) out of obligation on holidays. We prefer to lighten our load. Maybe it’s late-stage capitalism, or maybe its landfill-consciousness and fears of displacement due to global warming. Maybe it’s because we loathe the idea of a basement filled to the brim with boxes full of items we don’t use - even if we love the idea of having a basement.