Generational Astrology: How Astrology Can Crack the Millennial Code

CHAPTER 1 : Millennials, Defined

The Millennial "Problem"

In 1987, two authors named William Strauss and Neil Howe coined the term "Millennials" to refer to the children born in 1982 and expected to graduate on 2000, the opening of the new millennium.

At the time, much hope was invested on the rise of these youths, who were expected to be "heroic" and "special." As time went on, however, expectations turned the opposite direction as the millennials aged into their teens, and then in their twenties and thirties. Now, they are considered the most hated and infamous generation alive. Let's take a look at some of the barbs directed at them by the media. Here are just a few of them:

1. Millennials are killing the napkin industry (Business Insider)

2. Blame millennials for the vanishing bar of soap (CBS News)

3. Millennials aren't eating cereal because it's too much work (Spin.com)

4. Why are so many millennials having zero sex? (NY Magazine)

5. Did millennials kill fashion? (VV Magazine)

6. How millennials killed the focus group (Digiday)

7. Millennials are killing brunch, lunch, and the dinner date (NY Post, Fortune)

8. Young millennials are killing marriage (Bloomberg.com)

9. Now millennials are killing marmalade (metro.co.uk)

10. Millennials are killing the wine industry [for drinking too much beer] (NY Post)

11. Millennials are killing the beer industry [for drinking too much wine] (Business Insider)

So much hate from everybody! Well, if you can't beat them, might as well join them, right?

12. The hot new millennial trend is hating millennials (Vice.com)

Ah, that does it. Had enough yet?

As you can see, this generation is not lacking in notoriety. They're not lagging behind in stereotypes, either. As a generalization, millennials have been associated with narcissism, often called the "Me, me, me" generation. They supposedly had helicopter parents, received heaps of undeserved praise most notably through the infamous "Participation Trophies"—which frankly, they didn't really ask for—and they have one religion: the so-called mythic "work-life balance." Many of them are vegans, animal rights or gay marriage activists, and probably tenants in their parents' basement.

The world scratches its head finding a way to solve this egregious problem. It seems like everyone in every social sector is interested: corporations want to know how to maximize their productivity and make them stay, businesses want to know how to sell to them, and their parents want to know how to get along with them. Even some millennials want to know why they act the way they do. Science is limited, feeling its way through the darkness, unable to solve the mystery once and for all. Studies show some of their attributes and mentalities, measure job satisfaction and work ethics. But the essence of being a millennial, what makes them truly different from the Baby Boomers or Gen X or any other generation—the enigma stands. Uncertainty remains.

Take one mystery, for example: When were millennials born, exactly?

The Actual Birth Years of Millennials

Let's pull out a bunch of sources and compare their proposed time periods for the millennial birth years.

TABLE OF COMPARISON OF MILLENNIAL BIRTH YEARS BY SOURCE