baby boomers Archives - Astrology readings and writings by Lynn Hayes

Suicide among “baby boomers” jumps by 50%

News outlets are reporting that suicide rates for individuals aged 40-59 jumped over the last decade. The most pronounced jump was in the age groups from 50-54 and from 55-59 years old but there was also a big jump in suicides for those aged 60-64. (Full report from the CDC here.)

Astrologically, this age group corresponds to the Pluto in Leo generation. Leo is the sign that needs to feel special, and no age group has been as determined to be special as the Pluto in Leo generation of which I am a member. Obsessed with youth and the need to stay relevant, we didn’t trust anyone over 30 when we were young, and refused to grow old (a determination which as I wrote a few years ago has resulted in a tremendous increase in disabilities among this age group.

The baby boomers also demonstrated an increased suicide rate in adolescence: “The baby boomers also experienced higher suicide rates during their adolescence and young adulthood, doubling the rate for those age groups at the time. Their suicide rate then declined slightly and stabilized, before beginning to increase again in midlife.”

The sign of Leo is all about learning to celebrate the Self and find authentic avenues of Self-expression. Pluto in any sign tends to bring out the obsessive and self-destructive qualities of a sign and necessitates transformation in the areas that are governed by that sign. Pluto in Leo tends to regard everything as a mirror – failure then has the potential to become a rejection of the Self and not just a momentary obstacle.

Without more data it’s difficult to generalize, but the fact that this age group […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2018-06-11T12:28:49-04:00May 3rd, 2013|Death, Generations, Psychology|11 Comments

Pluto in Leo generation “beset by disabilities”

The National Health Interview survey found that disabilities for people between the ages of 50 and 64 are on the rise, a statistic that contrasts with a decline in disabilities for people aged 65 and over. The age group in trouble is the one that was born between 1945 and 1960 which corresponds to the Pluto in Leo generation. (You can read more about that generation, also called “baby boomers,” here.

While the total number of adults reporting physical problems in this age group did not change significantly over the study period, there was a significant uptick in people reporting difficulties with specific mobility related functions, including walking a quarter-mile and climbing 10 steps.

There was also an increase in the number of people using special equipment to get around, such as a cane or wheelchair. In addition, more people reported needing help with daily personal care activities, such as getting out of bed and moving around the home.

read more here…

Specifically, the problems reported by boomers include back or neck problems, diabetes and depression, anxiety or emotional problems. The Pluto in Leo generation is driven by ego concerns – Leo is the sign of the Self and the Ego, and Pluto brings a compulsive quality to the sign that has driven this generation to seek glorification in many ways. This was the first generation to embrace exercise for its own sake and in order to stave off the signs of aging, and overexercise is a major cause of mobility distress.

This intense focus on the Self and the ego that Pluto in Leo demands can easily result in emotional issues – it will be interesting to see if this tendency towards depression and […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2016-11-12T07:23:48-05:00April 13th, 2010|Generations, Health & Healing, Life|2 Comments

Pluto in Virgo: The Slacker generation and the new fiscal conservatism

Generations of people can be defined by the sign that Pluto was traveling in at the time of the birth of that population group. The Pluto in Leo generation, the “baby boomers,” are famous for being self-involved and self-important, as you would expect from a group that is compulsively driven (Pluto) to break through the barriers of the sign of Leo, the sign of the ego. Pluto was in Virgo between 1958 and 1971, and that generation is now between 38 and 53 years old.

The generation defined by Pluto experiences a compulsive attention to matters described by the sign that Pluto falls in. The Pluto in Cancer generation, parents to the Pluto in Leo boomers, gave up everything for their families (Cancer). The Leo Boomers made self-expression into an art form.

Like all of the other signs of the zodiac, Virgo operates on many different levels but the underlying principle is a sense of order and attention to the mundane details of everyday life. We therefore find Virgo representing our physical health and the connection between the mind and the body, our diet, service to others in assisting them in their daily life, and the day-to-day work experiences that provide the income to sustain us.

Demographers often call this generation “Generation X,” which was also called the “Slacker” generation, and report that this was the first generation in the United States to earn less than the previous generation. As “Slackers,” this generation embraced grunge rock and rejected the pull of materialism. Perhaps aware on some level that the world was about to change, many of them went from job to job and thought about career completely differently from any other previous generation. Forget the college degree…forget the 30 years and the […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2020-11-03T13:28:13-05:00May 6th, 2009|Generations, Life|Comments Off

Astrology in the Mainstream: Mother Earth News!

Thanks to Astrococktail for this enlightening link about America’s Seventh Saturn Return by astrologer Robert Cole that appeared in Mother Earth News in 1981. I love it when astrology is taken seriously by the mainstream media!

On October 22, 1981—in the midst of a massive solar system alignment which is currently happening in the ancient zodiacal symbol of Libra—the United States experienced its seventh Saturn return. (The return of Saturn in Libra occurs only once in approximately 29 years, and its strong influences can be noted for as much as a year’s time on both sides of such dates.)

Astrologically speaking, whatever was born on earth from 1775 through 1777—including nations such as ours—has Saturn “exalted” in the sign of Libra . . .the symbol representing the “Balance Beam of the Law”, which justifies the “defense of liberty” on one hand, and the “infringement of liberty” on the other. Indeed, according to its national astrological chart, the United States can represent both the positive and negative extremes of law and order. In the Declaration of Independence, for example, the country took on the responsibility of constructing a new order of freedom . . .yet more than once, in defense of our own liberties, we’ve considered it just to deny those of others.

Furthermore, on July 4, 1776 the hot summertime sun was moving into a “square”—or 90° aspect—with ponderous, restrictive Saturn. In proper astrological terminology, then, in the birth chart of the U.S., Saturn would be considered “afflicted” by the sun.

Now many people will doubt the significance of such occurrences, but the fact is that every Saturn return for the United States has been marked by at least one direct and harsh confrontation with other countries over what is fair internationally, and—on those occasions—every President involved […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2022-10-15T13:31:57-04:00June 6th, 2008|Astrology|Comments Off

Obama, Early and Late Boomers, and Pluto generations

There are two articles in the latest Newsweek magazine that have inspired posts, so you’ll get one tomorrow about the end of the happiness craze. Today, though, I am excited about Jonathan Alter’s article about the battle between the Early Boomers versus the Late Boomers in the battle between Obama and Clinton.

Jill has been bemoaning just such a battle on her blog, where cohorts from both generation are duking it out over the Democratic candidates. The fact is, the Boomers that get the bad rap about being an admittedly self-indulgent and narcissistic generation are those of us born with Pluto in Leo. The late Boomers, the one Alter describes as “feeling like generational stepchildren . . . as if we arrived late at the ’60s party after everything turned bitter.”

These Boomers are those born with Pluto in Virgo (after October of 1956), and their generation has been marked by a strong resentment to those who came directly before them. This is no surprise, because Virgo doesn’t like Leo much. Where Leo seeks the spotlight and takes center stage, demanding attention and adoration, Virgo is selfless and service-oriented and seeks only to serve others and live a life that is safe and orderly. The sign that Pluto falls in typically doesn’t express our individual personality but it does reflect who we are as a generation.

The Leo nature doesn’t have much thought for the future – it is anchored in the present and a need for pleasure and fun. Virgo, on the other hand, has a tendency to worry about the adequacy of available funds and planning for the future. Where Virgo is willing to work long hours toward a goal, Leo is more concerned with doing work that will allow […]

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By Lynn Hayes|2019-11-24T16:37:59-05:00February 7th, 2008|Generations|Comments Off