We’ve been talking in these pages about the generational impacts of this year’s presidential election, including the early boomers (Pluto in Leo), late boomers and generation X (Pluto in Virgo) and generation Y (Pluto in Libra). Each group as a generation carries the impulses of the sign that Pluto was in. But there is another generation, commonly considered to have born since 1982, that many writers are calling the Millennial generation, presumably because they came of age at the turn of the 21st century.

Pluto in Scorpio, the sign which it rules, brought with it the scourge of AIDS (death by sex, both Plutonian/Scorpionic trademarks) along with a flood of repressed memories (Pluto digs out debris from the subconscious) about sexual abuse. Pluto and its sign Scorpio rule over the domain of death, destruction, regeneration and sexuality and the elimination of waste products from our lives that no longer serve us. The Pluto in Scorpio generation, now termed the “Millenials,” are more prone to suicide than any generation before them. They experience the traumatic side of life more deeply – as one Millennial says:

We’re realizing early on that “everything we want” – marriage, family, a good job, comfortable finances – doesn’t come with a warranty. We watched our parents get divorced and laid off, so we’re not exactly starry-eyed about adult commitments, and don’t see many good reasons to stick around.

Plus, while we readily indulge in around-the-world adventures, we’re inundated by images of war, corrupt politics, a sick Earth, and distant family and friends. Frequent travel and jobs abroad are popular among my friends – always on to the newer and wilder thing – but the adventures are often accompanied by loneliness, disconnect, and disappointment, which often worsens upon returning.

Where the Pluto in Virgo generation tends towards cynicism and the Pluto in Libra generation leans towards pursuit of pleasures, the Pluto in Scorpio generation is seen by political watchers as being more highly engaged, more concerned about economic inequalities and the reality of war. This generation has leaned more heavily Democratic (48%) than any other generation in recent history.

It’s interesting to me that the writers (such as in the article cited above) who combine the generation born in the 1970s with the Pluto in Scorpio generation from 1982-1995 see more of a trend towards a desire for equality which is clearly the influence of Pluto in Libra from the late 1970s and 1980-1981. In any event, the Millennials are disappointed with the system of government they have inherited, and ready to change it. One interviewee in the above article said:

Through these conversations, we learned that these millennial youth not only wanted change, but they also expected to be agents of change in their own way and time. Kristen, a rural high school senior described her generation as the “actual laborers,” meaning that her generation would put ideas into action. She added: “I think other generations think about the problems that lay in the future. Our generation acts upon those problems and does things to fix or prevent them.” Matthew, also a rural high school senior, offered a similar perspective. He believed that millennials would, “grow up and see the problems” and then “try to fix them. We won’t ignore things.” And finally, George, a suburban junior, summarized many of his peers’ views about their generation when he asserted, “I can’t see why we wouldn’t be the generation that changes things. I agree with everyone that we will want to change things and make it more intimate–more of what people want.”

Pluto and Scorpio are highly tuned in to the vagaries of political power, and whereas their more self-oriented baby boomer parents wanted power to control their own lives, the Pluto in Scorpio generation is likely to discover ways to wield political power for the sake of increasing their own base of power. They’re young now so it could be a while before we see it happen, but this could be the most politically astute generation for quite some time.