We live in disruptive times. These periods of unrest that peak and fall have always followed a cycle that can be tracked both historically and more importantly for those of us who are metaphysically inclined, astrologically. The study of this cyclical historical/metaphysical pattern kicked into high gear with the discovery of the outer planets. Before this discovery, the farthest planet visible from Earth was Saturn whose 
orbital cycle is about 30 years in length and as such is keyed to the human life cycle rather than eras that stretch for hundreds and even thousands of years. On the other hand, the orbital cycles of the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto stretch to the limit and far beyond that of the individual human life cycle.
One of the last of the outer planets to be discovered, (now relegated to the status of ‘dwarf’), was Pluto, the orbit of which is a massive 248 years around the Sun. By observing the cycles of Pluto, Neptune, and Uranus and how they intersect, we can objectively locate ourselves in the stream of developmental time and thus gain greater insight into what is happening around us.
(note: Astronomers have discovered celestial objects linked to the earth by orbit that are even farther out and with longer orbits. Many astrologers are incorporating the movement of these newly ‘discovered’ objects into interpretations. To keep things simple, this discussion will focus only on the three planets mentioned.)
It’s instructive to understand how Pluto & its orbit, especially, as well as Uranus and Neptune, can demonstrate generational impulses within the greater collective.
Because Pluto is so slow-moving, many people can be born with Pluto in the same sign. Thus, an understanding of the sign in which Pluto is found at any given time is the first step. This will provide us with context and reference points to extrapolate our inferences. This is the astrological or metaphysical approach. Also vital to our observation of cycles is an understanding of both sociological influences & the expansion of consciousness generally.
So, in 1923, a sociologist, Karl Mannheim, born March 27, 1893, wrote an essay titled, THE PROBLEM OF GENERATIONS.
According to the Wikipedia analysis:
“he suggested that people are significantly influenced by the socio-historical environment of their youth. Social notable events occur and create a shared experience which then can define to a certain extent the generation in question and gives rise to further events (action-reaction) which eventually shape future generations.”
This concept is extremely coherent with the EA understanding of the outer planets; they serve as deep subliminal forces within the persona and equally profound archetypal social forces that provide an environment of reaction for the individual and the group to which she belongs. Any analysis of generational groups must include some understanding of the historical period in which that group first came onto this material plane. It is essentially a case of both NATURE & NURTURE.
There’s a fair amount of debate as to how many groups exist, the dates that define the groups, and so forth. Social scientists have been playing around with both the times and names of these generational groups. One of the most interesting aspects is that the two systems, the sociological and the metaphysical, intersect smoothly.
By examining the transit of Pluto, the farthest out and the longest of 
the orbits of these outer planets, we can begin to form an astrological framework.
As previously stated, Pluto takes about 248 years to orbit elliptically around the Sun, during which time he will transit (pass through) each of the current 12 signs that most astrologers recognize.
(There is an ongoing debate about the 13th sign and said implications of its presence within the established zodiac, but we will leave that for another time. For now, let’s just use the conventional 12 sign division to discuss this topic).
It is immediately obvious that Pluto will stay in one sign for a lengthy time. This extended period allows for many souls to be born into a so-called ‘group’ that will, as a unit, be subject to the sociological forces in play during this period. (This is the ‘nurture’ part of the process). Pluto in any given sign has an intrinsic significance in terms of individual development. Where Pluto is located within the horoscope points to the fundamental soul urges at play in any given lifetime. (This is the ‘nature’ part of the equation.) It is also obvious that in the course of a single lifetime, Pluto will only transit a limited number of signs of the zodiac. During our ‘modern times’, let’s say the late 1800s until now, these signs range from Gemini to Aquarius.
The ‘Pluto in Gemini’ group was made up of those souls born into the world that existed before WW1, often referred to as ‘The Gilded Age’ and designated as ‘THE LOST GENERATION’. Metaphysically, this time period marked the start of ‘modern thought’. Horizons began to expand and individuals hungered for knowledge. The souls born during this period were psychically wired to search for answers to long unanswered questions. The ‘mental’ body began to expand and shift.
The ‘Pluto in Cancer’ group is linked to what some sociologists designate as ‘THE SILENT GENERATION’. These are the souls born directly after WW1 and into the early 1930’s. Fiercely loyal, protective and stalwart, this group endured unimaginable trauma. Metaphysically, they were wired to protect and nurture under great duress; to have intestinal fortitude in the face of threat and danger.
‘Pluto in Leo’ (the Baby Boomers; the ‘ME’ generation) is the group of souls born during and post WW2.
This ‘Pluto in Leo’ generation extended over 2 decades from October 1937 to June 1958.
This is a big group. What defines this generational group astrologically? Here’s the Leo deal:
–self-expression
–self-love
–self-engrossment
–self-actualization
–selfishness????
With this energy at the core of the soul, there is a need, a compulsion to actualize in full freedom. The polarity energy to Leo, the ‘partner’ sign, is Aquarius which focuses on freedom, rebellion & revolution. (Hold this thought. It will reappear as we dig into this discussion.)
Think of that ‘LEO’ generational group as they came into adulthood. Reckless, enthusiastic, often thoughtless as to the outcome. What was important to them was that THEY were able to satisfy themselves 
in whatever was most vital to them. Generally, this group produced individuals who were creative, egotistical, driven to self-actualize according to their own personal criteria, and often selfish and self-centered. Take a moment and consider the social environment of the ’50s & the ’60s as the first of the Pluto in Leo folks began to mature and assume their place within the context of society. They were being raised, for the most part, by Pluto in Cancer folks who had withstood the ravages of the ’20s & ’30s, and ‘40’s; depression, war, and intense existential fear. These ‘Cancer’ caregivers wanted to protect and nurture their offspring, to give them the safety and security that they had not had. The indulgence and over-protectedness that was showered on these little ‘Leos’ ultimately resulted in a willful, spoiled bunch of teenagers who threw their weight around, experimented with alternative lifestyles, and were generally disobedient. A humourous epitaph regarding those decades is that if you remember the ’60’s, you did not actually live through them, suggesting wild and hedonistic behaviour that most probably included mind-altering substances. The point is that the climate of the times dove-tailed precisely with the inner urges of the majority of the individuals who were born into that time. As without…so within…
Within that group are several subgroups as defined by the other 2 outers, Neptune & Uranus.
In EA, Neptune signifies our relationship to the greater collective through the auspices of the divine force. Uranus signifies the personal unconscious, that deep source of acquired individual knowledge that we all have and that spans all incarnations. An electric source of energy.
So, Neptune moves from the latter degrees of Virgo to the early degrees of Scorpio during the Pluto in Leo period.
Uranus goes from Taurus to Leo.
So, we can track the interaction of the core soul force of Leo with these other energies. Each singular energy is focused on particular expressions & functions within the psyche. Thus, we can observe how the Pluto in Leo soul group was altered as the other two outer planets also transited through the energies in question.
At the very beginning of the Pluto transit through Leo, the other 2 outers were in Taurus, (Uranus) and Virgo, (Neptune).
These very few individuals embodied the impulse to creative actualization in down-to-earth (Taurus) and practical terms (Virgo). This was almost like a ‘ground-out’ before the actual energy took full hold.
From this little sub-group, comprised of the three energies mentioned, arose thinkers, leaders, and front-runners who paved the way for the onslaught of the ‘Pluto in Leos’. Many of these folks would go on to become thought leaders who created systematic, process-oriented strategies for self-understanding and self-actualization.
As mentioned, this was a relatively small group of folks. If you were born during the first few years of the Pluto transit through Leo, you may have fallen into this spearhead group. Pluto first entered Leo in 1937 for just a few short months but finally shifted fully into Leo by June of 1939.
Uranus is the fastest moving of the 3 outer planets and by August 1941, he made his first entry into Gemini and after a short retrograde period back into Taurus, he entered fully into Gemini in May of 1942 for a seven-year long sojourn. The texture of the energy subtly altered.
With Uranus in Gemini and Neptune in Virgo joining Pluto in Leo, the explosion of imaginative thinking that intrinsically will affect the practice of spirituality begins. The connection to wellness via the practice of new and often radical spiritual protocols begins to emerge. Mind-altering forms of practice will begin to become more popular.
October 1942: Just a few months later, Neptune shifts into Libra, Uranus is in Gemini and Pluto remains in Leo.
This begins the rumble that alters how society views ideas about relationships, communication, partnership, and contracts, and most particularly from the singular point of view; how the self is affected in this context.
August 1948: The next shift of energies happens when Uranus moves into Cancer. After another short retrograde period back into Gemini, he returns to Cancer in June of 1949. He will remain there for the next 7 years. Neptune continues in Libra and, of course, Pluto is in Leo.
This group brings in the energy of the family, the nature of the family relationship & how the individual self fits into this arrangement. A more intense focus on the needs of the heart, the self, starts to rise within the consciousness.
August 1955: Uranus shifts into Leo and after a short 4-ish month period of retrograde back into Cancer will move into Leo in January 1956 where he will stay for the next seven years. Neptune continues to transit Libra.
Self-expression is fundamentally altered. Individualism is highlighted. 
Freedom of self-expression becomes paramount. A new dynamic is born in the relationship game. Relationships of all types begin to shift. The needs of the self take center stage.
October 1956: Neptune enters Scorpio for a few months and fully enters this energy by August 1957.
With the inclusion of Scorpio energy, the transmutation process of self begins. The Neptune in Scorpio process takes the evolutionary impulse into the highest realms. The social contract is forever and fundamentally altered.
As we review the above dates and the transitional times within that period, we can relate the external societal impulses that contributed to the already inherent nature of the energies of the soul force in play. It was a case of ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ contributing to the ultimate formation of the souls in question. Again, this dovetails very nicely with the ancient astrological observation, ‘as above, so below…’ 
Energy is holistic. We are all subject to the same energy as it flows both around us and within us. As the forces of change were operative in the greater collective, they were also at work within the individual psyche. As society evolved, external forces altered individuals and individuals adapted to shifting energies both singularly and as part of a community group according to the intrinsic energy within them.
This is one of the most persuasive arguments for the existence of a divine plan, even a divine creative force. The tapestry continues to unfold according to a pattern that we, as parts within that pattern may not be able to fully understand. Let it be enough that we perceive that there is, indeed, a pattern in play.
“Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.” Hebrews 11:1
In my next blog, we will dig into the energy of Virgo and the GEN-Xers