Astrology for Millennials: Uranus Opposing Natal Pluto

When we speak of generations of people—as we do with classifications like ‘Baby Boomer’, ‘Gen X’, ‘Millennial’ or ‘Gen Z’— we are, knowingly or not, referring to the astrological placement of Pluto.

Pluto moves elliptically, meaning that it can spend anywhere from 12 years to 31 years in a given sign of the zodiac. In the last fifty years or so, Pluto has spent around fifteen years in each sign of the zodiac, imprinting each generation of people with a certain shared quality or orientation.

Your Cosmic Family

We might assume that a generation forms its collective “personality” as a result of facing common experiences in society, such as a military draft, economic depression, technological boom, artistic renaissance, and so forth.

To some extent, of course, this is true. But at a deeper level, a generation of people also shares a common instinctive response pattern. At the most primordial levels of consciousness, they meet the world with something like the same attitude or values. Everyone born with Pluto in Leo responds to the circumstances of society from a fundamentally Leonine orientation, while everyone born with Pluto in Virgo responds to life in Virgoan fashion, and so forth.

Generations experience aspects to natal Pluto collectively. Transiting planets in aspect to Pluto catalyze transformation in an entire generation at the same time, since each member has Pluto in approximately the same place.

People born within a few years of one another will be tested by a common cosmic influence, albeit in different spheres of activity, depending on the house that Pluto falls within the birth chart.

• The Pluto Return – The Crisis of Baby Boomer Retirements

Pluto In Scorpio

Pluto entered Scorpio in late 1983 and remained in this sign through 1995. The Pluto in Scorpio generation has been dubbed “Millennials” because they came of age around the turn of the Millennium.

During the years 2018 – 2026, Uranus has been transiting Taurus, the sign opposite Scorpio. This means that Millennials have been experiencing the transit of Uranus opposing their natal Pluto.

The aspect becomes more intense and palpable in an individual’s life as the aspect becomes more exact. Older Millennials experienced this aspect earlier, while Millennials born in the mid-nineties will experience this later.

Currently, in 2021, Uranus is halfway through Taurus, meaning that this opposition is most powerfully directly affecting those born in the late eighties and early nineties.

Uranus opposing Pluto brings upheaval and change to the very most fundamental structures of our lives. While this may be unpleasant, at least insofar as it is chaotic or shocking, the change it brings is likely long overdue and ultimately liberating. Whatever is transpiring at this time is challenging you to let go of certain attitudes from the past and pursue new courses of action or altogether different ways of viewing the world.

• Uranus in Taurus: The Ford F-150 Electric Truck

You may be forced by circumstances into taking a big chance as you pursue a deeply cherished dream that you had not yet been bold enough to make a reality. You may feel frightened, insecure, or vulnerable as you face the reality that the old structures in your life are no longer tenable or worth hanging onto. Indeed, your entire worldview may be overthrown, and you may be forced to consider points of view or courses of action that, even months ago, were entirely unfathomable to you.

Yet you will also discover deep reserves of power and resilience as you experiment with new ways of being. You, like the entire Pluto-in-Scorpio generation, are being challenged in the realm of emotional loyalty. What is it that you truly treasure? What ties are you willing to stand up for, and which connections are proving themselves to be only skin deep? Upon what structures are you relying on for your sense of safety or stability, and are these structures genuinely supporting your emotional well-being or not? To what or two whom have you been loyal, and is this loyalty deserved?

If your sense of safety, personal power, and self-confidence have been predicated upon external structures, then this period may be deeply emotionally or psychologically disturbing, as you watch these structures topple over. If, on the other hand, you have already learned to rely on the power of your instinct, intuition, and inner knowledge, while you may not be untouched by upheaval, you will be better able to “roll with the punches” and find your center. The lesson of the current moment is that the center of your power lies within your psychological and emotional acuity— not in anything or anyone outside of you.

• Neptune In Pisces: The Vaccine Civil War

Power-Hungry vs. Empowerment

During this period, you will contend with the issues of power and control. You may have to cope with feelings of powerlessness or victimhood as the structures which you have been depending upon shift like tectonic plates in an earthquake. It may be extremely bewildering and disorienting to have the foundations of your life overturned. On the other hand, you may thrive during this time as you discover reserves of power that you had never tapped into before. Dire circumstances may be focalizing and galvanizing, bringing out a force of might you had never recognized was yours to wield.

This aspect activates the fight-of-flight instincts in the brain, which can be quite stressful. Resist the impulse to fight ferociously against real or perceived opponents. You may feel tempted to run roughshod over others in an attempt to assert power at any cost, and vengeful feelings of resentment, jealousy, or vindictiveness may tempt you. Conversely, you may feel so overwhelmed by the uncertainty that you react with passivity and apathy, throwing up your hands in futility and hiding under the covers.

Neither of these extremes will serve you. Try to leave your bruised ego out of the equation and let go of outdated conceptions and definitions. There are no guarantees when we face the darkness of the unknown but refusing to face that which needs to change comes at a far higher price. What we fear the most may be lurking in this darkness, but so is everything we most desire.

Rather than wasting energy fighting against anything or anyone, figure out what you are for. Then martial your energies in that direction. Focus your energy upon making the most of the unprecedented opportunities of the moment, for you are being given a chance now to radically re-shape your life into the one you have always dreamed of.