The Pluto-Neptune Generations, 1939 to 2042. Part 1: Boomers to Gen X

By Cate Whelan

No-one... is immune to the spirit of his own epoch.
- Carl Jung, Paracelcus the Physician. 1942

Neptune's Horses, by Walter Crane
Source: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pluto’s orbit is elliptical, and its passage through the signs is not evenly divided through its 248-year cycle. It spends around 30 years in Taurus, while it speeds through Scorpio in 12 years. But since 1939 it has been moving at an average of around 14 years per sign, roughly the same rate as Neptune, which has a 168-year cycle, and the two planets change sign at almost the same time. Because of this we have quite specific generational tendencies, described by the signs of Neptune and Pluto. This dance between the two outer planets continues until the 2040s: a hundred years of sextile companionship which defines the underlying themes of 7 generations.

These themes are also carried in the outer world. We can correlate major world events and trends with the signs of the outer planets, and of course Australia is a microcosm of this energy. It is interesting to see what particular things Australians were dealing with, and what our own mythology says; what we ourselves were experiencing at the time.

As the outer planets change sign, the underlying energy in the world changes, and the children born under this energy carry this in their charts and thus in their lives. So we all live through the energy of the outers in the signs, but it is an unconscious driving force for those born under those signs.

Neptune is what we idealise, ‘the spirit of the times’, and Pluto what we are obsessed with, and what we destroy and perhaps rebuild. Of course, it builds up layer upon layer –a Pluto in Leo, a Baby Boomer, has lived through and responded to Pluto in Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn and now Aquarius, in their own special way, and created and seen world changes through the lens of their own generation. And so it is for each group.

It becomes complicated because generational energy tends to be amplified during the subsequent generation – the generation you grew up in. This, of course, varies according to whether you are born early or late in a generation, but suffice to say that we ABSORB the energy we are born under, but the expression of it comes during the next cycle – for example, the hippie culture developed under Pluto in Virgo, Neptune in Scorpio, but the Boomers were the ones who pioneered it. We are seeing two signs of Neptune and two signs of Pluto at work.

Generation Timeline
Source: Cmglee, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Sociologists have identified and labelled the generations but they have left one out – the generation I will call Gen W (Worry, Work and Weight loss). This group was divided between Boomers and Gen X– but they are an entirely different and separate group.

The Pluto-Neptune Generations

In some instances, the sign changes of the outers are out of synch for a few years. For consistency, in these cases, I have used the Pluto sign change as the start of the new generation.

The Me Generation / Baby Boomers

Pluto in Leo, Neptune in Libra (1939-56)

Leo is the sign of the child. Together with Aries, it is one of the ‘me’ signs, so not surprisingly, this group is also called the ‘Me Generation’. They were born during or in the aftermath of the Second World War, so it was certainly a Plutonian childhood. (Leo - childhood). Their fathers had fought, perhaps died in the war, or had come home damaged physically or mentally. Following the World War was the Cold War, with the US and its allies (including Australia) on one side, and the Soviet Union on the other. The opposite sign to Leo is Aquarius, and the Aquarian ideal of communism or socialism was the great bogey of the post-war years. The overwhelming fear this generation was exposed to in their childhood was of communists, and of this was exploited politically in Australia to ensure the continuation of the incumbent Menzies government. This intense fear of communism was a factor in the Korean War, and certainly made it easy for Australia to follow the US into the Vietnam War, a 20-year war that began right at the end of this period.

It was the period of the Baby Boom. Pluto in Leo – your purpose was to have children! They were born into traditional nuclear families, with Dad as the breadwinner and Mum at home. Often it was difficult for men to assimilate back into a mundane world, and for women to give up the independence they had during the war, but the families stayed together – these parents were the Pluto in Cancer generation; it was all about family. Post-war mass migration from Europe began, and large families were encouraged. Populate or perish!

Neptune is the ideals of the group, their vision, and their sacrifice. Pluto in Leo and Neptune in Libra are sextile, so they are friendly. But here we strike a problem - Leo is about ME and Libra is about US, so there is a conflict. This group has an idealised picture of relationship, to which reality can never measure up. They want to merge with the beloved. They invented the term ‘Soulmate’ (Soul-Neptune, Mate-Libra). Becoming adults in the Virgo/Scorpio period, they married early, starry-eyed with romance and lust, and later their marriages struggled as they were driven by their purpose and obsession, the search for the inner self. When Pluto went through Libra, the search for self-knowledge intensified, therapy became popular and the collision between Libra and Leo ideals led to many relationship breakdowns.

Neptune in Libra describes the ideal of fairness, of social justice, and it was in this period that there were life-changing reforms in Australia: the introduction of national child endowment, widows’ pensions, unemployment and sickness benefits, and marriage guidance counselling.

Blue Hills, by Gwen Meredith
Source: First edition book cover, 1950: Doug butler, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Neptune rules fashion and the arts, and Libra is about beauty and harmony, so it is no surprise to see melodic popular music (the crooners), feminine fashion – full skirts, rope petticoats, stiletto heels - and for men, perhaps a white sportscoat and a pink carnation. There was no TV, but radio serials, such as Blue Hills and When a Girl Marries, were very popular.

The Boomer generation has been described as the most self-indulgent of them all, but they grew full of hope and ready to take on the world. As teenagers and young adults, they certainly made their mark as the next generational energy emerged.

Generation W (1956 - 1972)

Neptune in Scorpio, Pluto in Virgo

The times they are a-changin’

This generation is overlooked by sociologists, who absorb them into Boomers and Gen X. But they have a very strong identity of their own, as they were born into a time of massive change. In 1956, both Neptune and Pluto changed sign; Neptune into Scorpio and Pluto into Virgo. 1956 was a watershed year for Australia: it was the year television arrived. It is impossible to overstate the impact of television on family life, on our world view and on social attitudes and mores. Not only did we become addicted to (mainly) American shows and American culture, it changed the way society functioned. TV is ruled by Neptune, and our lives, our aspirations and our dreams changed dramatically.

As we moved into the 60s, TV enabled us to see what was happening overseas. Virgo is the sign of the servant, or slave. We became aware of segregation and the plight of black people in America. We lived the assassination of JFK.; we saw the freedom riders in the US and became more aware of the plight of indigenous Australians, leading to the 1967 referendum, making them Australian citizens. The Neptune in Libra generation has a strong sense of social justice, and we saw passionate demonstrations against the South African apartheid regime when their rugby team toured Australia. We saw the Vietnam war first hand.

The mid-60s, of course, was the time of the Pluto-Uranus conjunction, and its impact was life-changing and history making - the beginning of a new 127 year cycle between two explosive planets.

Vietnam War protests in Sydney
Source: The Tribune / SEARCH Foundation, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

To feed the controversial Vietnam war, conscription was introduced, via a birthday ballot, with all 20-year-old males born on those dates required to sign up for 2 years active service, including overseas. This is Pluto in Virgo in action, but of course the draftees were Pluto in Leos, and young people rebelled. The war was seen as illegitimate and there were huge moratorium marches in Australia which disrupted all our capital cities, as well as vast marches in America. An underground movement began, hiding draftees who refused to join. It was hugely divisive. Young people who protested had parents who had made huge sacrifices in the second world war, and many saw it as betrayal. Pluto in Virgo had turned the ideal of service on its head – so longer blind acceptance of authority, but with responsibility now placed on those who made the rules.

While all this was happening, there was a social revolution. With Neptune in Scorpio, the contraceptive pill became available – a heady mix as the Neptune in Libras, who idealised relationship, were now able to ‘make love not war’. Some became the Flower People, with sexual freedom catalysing a new way of life, and some opting to experiment with communal living, rejecting traditional family and work structures.

For women in general, the flow-on effects of freely available contraception have been enormous. It catalysed the social expectation that sex was confined to marriage, and meant that people married later or didn’t get married at all. It helped begin a global movement by women for the right to work and to have equal pay, also legislated in Australia during Pluto in Libra. It led to huge social and economic change in the world.

In the 60s, sexuality seeped into all the Neptunian facets of life. Fashion became more Scorpionic. Structured swimwear of the 50s became the revealing bikini, skirts became mini, fashion traditions were broken in an act of rebellion, whether it be hot pants and high boots, or flowing skirts of Indian cotton. Long hair for men also became a social statement.

Australia became part of the music revolution. Rock n Roll became a music genre from the mid-1950s – a move from Neptune in Libra to Neptune in Scorpio. While it began with the African-American Rhythm and Blues, it became mainstream with Elvis Presley and took over Australia via Johnny O’Keefe and Six O’Clock Rock. Then the UK rock scene, led by the Beatles, stormed in. The era of screaming teenagers and mass hysteria had arrived in Australia.

In particular, this music defined a new ‘teen culture’ in the Boomer generation – the Pluto in Leos living through Neptune in Scorpio. The concept of the ‘teenager’ as a special group was fully exploited by the marketers. This involved not just music, absorbed via radio, record buying, jukeboxes and TV programs like Bandstand, but also extended to film, clothes, hair, cars and motorcycles, and distinctive language.

TV became more daring and sexual, beginning with Mavis Bramston in the 60s. In theatre we had the production of Hair, with the first nude scene in Australian history. Oh! Calcutta, a sexual revue with extensive nudity, was banned by courts in Adelaide and Melbourne. The boundaries were really being pushed! Also, by the end of this period, the first Cleo magazine, with its nude male centrefold, had been published.

Nicola Roxon
Source: Bidgee, CC BY-SA 3.0 AU , via Wikimedia Commons

Pluto in Virgo brought huge charges to public health. Links were revealed between cigarettes and cancer and gradually from this time onwards, governments banned advertising and increased taxes considerably. In 2012 Australia, led by Nicola Roxon – a driven Gen W with Pluto in Virgo – became the first country in the world to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes, successfully taking on Big Tobacco and setting the ball rolling around the world.

Ground-breaking research was done into the environmental damage caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides, as revealed in Rachel Carson’s book ‘Silent Spring’, and we had the first real concerns about the health of the planet.

Virgo is food and nutrition, and there was a Fast Food revolution, which led to huge changes in eating habits. Late in this period, 1968 to 72, Australia was infiltrated by KFC, Hungry Jack’s, Pizza Hut and McDonald’s. Food and nutrition would never be the same again! Correspondingly WeightWatchers also began at this time.

The shadow of Virgo is Pisces, and this is the era when drugs became readily available. The hippy culture embraced the recreational use of hallucinogenic drugs, especially marijuana and LSD, as a way of expanding consciousness, and the haze of marijuana smoke is an enduring image of this period as its use became more mainstream.

So how did the Zeitgeist of this period show in the astrological DNA of the Gen Ws? Theirs is a much darker vision, with an obsession with work and health, and a relentless pursuit of efficiency. As adults in the 80s, and with a strong work ethic, they were a natural fit for economic rationalism and burgeoning growth in the service sector. They prioritised personal fitness and we saw the expansion of gyms and the proliferation of weight loss programs. Growing up with access to the contraceptive pill, they saw sex as a normal, not forbidden part of young relationships, but Neptune in Scorpio had them searching for the ultimate sexual experience. They got married later than their parents, prioritising careers and continuing to work after they had children.

Generation X 1972 - 1984

Neptune in Sagittarius, Pluto in Libra.

Jesus Christ, Superstar!

Neptune in Jupiter’s sign, Pluto in Venus’s sign; the two benefics. The Whitlam government was elected, beginning a pattern of Australia changing governments when Pluto changes sign. You could feel a lightening of the energy and a new sense of hope.

But not for long – the world was introduced to terrorism. In 1972 at the Munich Olympics (Olympics are Jupiter-ruled), PL) terrorists kidnapped Israeli athletes, resulting in the deaths of 17 people. 900 million people world-wide watched the hostage situation on television. Israeli PM Golda Meir authorized Israeli assassination squads to take revenge, calling it Operation Wrath of God. This is the dark side of Zeus. It was also the time of the Troubles in Ireland and IRA attacks in the UK. The vision of travel – Neptune in Sagittarius – was tested, but it is still in the DNA of this generation.

The new Labor government had a vision for universal education (Sagittarius), resulting in the abolition of university fees, making higher education available to everyone who matriculated. The younger Boomers were able to take advantage of this, but the main beneficiaries were the Gen Ws, who were able to try as many courses as they liked. With Neptune in Sagittarius, and access to much cheaper air fares, gap years became very popular, and the youth market became a focus of the travel industry. This was the beginning of boom time for Contiki and Topdeck travel.

The government ended the White Australia policy and recognised China, seeing things from a perspective of social justice – Pluto in Libra – and the ideal of one world, one people – Neptune in Sagittarius. However, they got into trouble with their ideal of ‘buying back the farm’. Rex Connor, the minister for minerals and energy, loved to quote the following lines by poet Sam Walter Foss(1):

Give me men to match my mountains,
Give me men to match my plains,
Men with freedom in their visions
And creation in their veins.

Inspired by this Jupiter/Neptune vision, Connor devised a plan to create a national energy grid and a gas pipe-line across Australia, and he wanted an Australian-controlled mining and energy sector. Treasury wouldn’t finance his plans, so he attempted to raise money in the Middle East through an intermediary, a mysterious Pakistani banker called Tirath Khemlani. Very Neptunian! This was his downfall and the downfall of the Whitlam government.

In 1976 the first Vietnamese Boat People landed in Darwin, beginning a migration of 50,000 refugees from the Vietnam war. Australians had to learn to relate to people who were culturally quite different- the practical application of the Sagittarian vision of multiculturism.

When Pluto moved into Libra, it moved over the Neptune of the Baby Boomers, and their relationships were severely tested. In 1975 the Commonwealth Family Law courts were established, and divorce became ‘no fault’, with ‘irretrievable breakdown’ the only grounds for divorce. Relationships were destroyed, but in a civilised way – this is Libra, after all! From 1976, divorce rates in Australia skyrocketed.(2) This is the childhood reality of the Pluto in Libra child – breakups, sometimes bitter and messy, and an induction into the blended family. They certainly carry a different picture of marriage from their parents, and the relationships they went on to form were vastly different also.

Greenpeace
Source: Stichting Greenpeace Council, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The discovery of Chiron in 1978 is a pivotal time for the Gen Ws, who were the young adults at this time. It marked the beginning of the conservation movement: Greenpeace, Australian Conservation Foundation and similar organisations were founded. The discovery of Chiron also marked the recognition of the groups who live on the edge of society. It gave us the first gay Mardi Gras, the aboriginal land rights movement, the boat people, and anti-discrimination laws: Neptune in Sagittarius - aspirational legislation. It was also the start of World (Sagittarius) Vision (Neptune).

The Australian film industry (Neptune) hit its straps, with Jupiterian titles and themes - Sunday Too Far Away, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Getting of Wisdom, Pharlap etc. On TV. the Brady Bunch showed an idealised blended family and the Sullivans an idealised nuclear family. For the Gen Xs growing up, there was conflict between what was shown on TV and what was reality in their lives.

Megachurch Hillsong, 1983
Source: Tatie2189, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sagittarius is, of course, religion. We saw the rise of the charismatic movement, especially the Assemblies of God. In 1977 Frank Houston founded a Neo-Pentecostal megachurch (Neptune in Jupiter’s sign). There was a merger of several protestant churches to form the Uniting Church, and the Festival of Light was established –the self-appointed the guardians of our soul.

What about fashion? Sports wear, in particular tracksuits, became fashion statements, particularly with the brand, such as Adidas, prominently displayed. Ethnic clothes were also popular – caftans, ponchos and cheesecloth and Indian cotton in peasant styles.

What are the Gen Xs like?

Their ideals are different from their Boomer parents. Growing up with absent parents who were always working, they were indulged with material things, but this group want something more. They want freedom – from anything that can tie them down. For some this might be relationships. For others this might be a high-powered job. This is the group that says ‘I don’t want to take work home every night. I want a life.’ They were doing at 30 what their parents did at 20 – deciding on a career, taking time out after studying to travel, forming stable relationships. They were not the ones prepared to sacrifice their life until they could afford the ultimate lifestyle - they wanted it now. The Boomers had their children early, and travelled afterwards. The Gen Xs did their travelling first; long-term commitments and children were a long way along the horizon.

This generation sought a way of approaching partnerships that gave them freedom and flexibility. Over the 20th century, 75% of people married. This group are around 50%, according to sociologist Hugh McKay(3). ‘Partnerships are moving out of the public domain where they are formally recognised and registered, into a more private domain where freedom and flexibility become new virtues.’ Born into a world where things were changing so fast - socially and culturally – they kept their options open. Sagittarius is a mutable sign. Growing up in the technological age, change is the air they breathe. They are the most educated generation, the most adaptable, the most culturally aware and probably the least competitive.

The next generation (part 2 of this article) would see Neptune move into Capricorn and Pluto into Scorpio; how would the previous generations respond to this totally different energy? And how have this new group changed the world?

References:
1. National Museum Australia website, Defining Moments: the Pill Wikipedia, Rex Connor
2. Australian Institute of Family Studies, Family Law and Marriage Breakdown in Australia
3. Hugh Mackay, Turning Point, MacMillan 1999, p. 144

First published in: FAA Journal, June 2023.

Author:
Cate Whelan has been involved in astrology for more than 40 years and has been consulting and teaching for 26 years. She holds the FAA Diploma and a Certificate in Medieval Astrology from Astro Logos. These days she spends more time researching her passion: sociological astrology. She is fascinated by the way societies work and the way groups function within them, and how this is reflected in their natal charts and through transits. Cate was president of FAASA from 2011 to 2023.
Contact Cate at catew49@gmail.com.

All articles at a glance