Collective Souls Podcast

Mari Budlong & Daljeet Peterson

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Society & Culture
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Collective Souls is both an inquiry and an invitation. It blends astrology, generational theory, and soul work to reframe how we understand our place in history—not just as individuals, but as participants in a much longer story. collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com

3d ago

EP12—The Pluto in Capricorn Generation

This episode is of the youngest souls in this story, the ones still young, still forming. This episode is the portrait of Pluto in Capricorn—Gen Alpha, born between 2008 and 2024. Daljeet guides us through a chapter carrying the heaviest frequency in the book. These souls arrive already weighted with the gravity of what must be built, already shaped by the structures they inherit—whether those structures are worthy of them or not. Past-life soul memories echo with chieftains, elders, and institution-builders: the ones who carry the burden of civilization forward when the easier choice would be to set it down. We spend a lot of our conversation discussing how this cardinal Earth generation was in some ways bookended by the 2008 Great Recession and the 2020 pandemic, these souls inheriting a landscape of institutional failure. Yet rather than expecting the system to protect them, they possess a cautious, structural pragmatism to master the mechanics of power and work the broken systems they’ve inherited. We unpack the elemental collisions of this 16-year cycle, exploring how the Saturn-ruled contraction of the Capricorn era challenged the expansive fire of the Leo and Sagittarius generations, forced a mid-life reckoning for the Libra cohort, and offered a harmonious building period for Virgo and Scorpio souls. The Pluto in Capricorn generation will inherit whatever we build or fail to build. We are all now in a world Pluto in Aquarius is already beginning to reshape: decentralized, technologically unmoored, and radically uncertain. As the chapter closes on something extraordinary—the holographic projection of multiple futures, all possible, none yet fixed—we are reminded the future we’re still deciding is the world they will be born into. We hold this generation with a kind of awe, and we invite you to join us for this conversation, and be sure to check the links below to dive deeper into the book and audiobook. Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

1h 4m
Jun 22

EP11 — The Pluto in Sagittarius Generation

In this episode, we look toward the horizon as we explore Gen Z’s astrological soul imprint: the Pluto in Sagittarius generation. Born between 1995 and 2008, these souls arrived hungry for meaning and truth, incarnating into an era defined by explosive global expansion, boundless optimism, and the rapid rise of the World Wide Web. Daljeet explains how this “mutable fire” generation differs fundamentally from the fixed fire of the Leo Boomers; rather than needing a personal stage or a single prophet, Sagittarius seeks to distribute its philosophy collectively, spreading ideas like a wildfire. We trace their past-life echoes through ancient Babylonian astronomers, exiled truth-tellers, and explorers, discussing what it means for these expansive souls to be born directly into the “ideological wildfire” and battleground of belief following 9/11. Ultimately, they are our “new philosophers,” carrying a soul-calling to evolve our society away from a fractured globalism and toward a more holistic, interconnected “planetary consciousness”. But what happens when a generation built for the open road is handed a world that keeps locking them down? A portion of our conversation examines the profound friction these expansive souls faced when they came of age during the heavy, immovable reality of the Pluto in Capricorn era. We unpack how the 2008 financial crash acted as their first harsh initiation into systemic limits, turning a world of infinite possibility into a landscape of restriction, closed doors, and economic austerity. Then, just as they were stepping into adulthood, they were met with the ultimate restriction: the global pandemic lockdowns, which confined a generation built for physical and intellectual movement to the walls of their own homes. Yet, despite inheriting a narrowing world with dissolving institutions, their fire for truth-seeking has not been extinguished. Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

53 min
Jun 15

EP10 — The Pluto in Scorpio Generation

In this episode we step into some deep and intense waters as we explore the Pluto in Scorpio generation. Born between 1984 and 1995, these early Millennials make up the shortest, most compressed astrological generation in our 250-year cycle, arriving with an undeniable intensity. They were born into a world already gripped by issues people didn’t want to look at, physically incarnating alongside the heartbreaking realities of the AIDS epidemic. We unpack the profound shift into the Water element, exploring Scorpio’s magnetic drive to uncover secrets, navigate complex power dynamics, and force the collective to face what it would rather avoid. These souls were the first to truly come of age inside the early internet, using anonymous screen names to navigate chat rooms and bypass parental authority, which seeded a deepening generational suspicion of elders and institutions. Far from the “snowflake” stereotype, we explore how their early exposure to the unfiltered realities of the web, coupled with coming of age during the ideological conflicts of 9/11 and the War on Terror, forged a powerful and highly perceptive generation. We invite you to listen in and explore it with us. Check the show notes for links to the book, audiobook, and our book club guides! Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

52 min
Jun 1

EP09 — The Pluto in Libra Generation

Daljeet and I step into a cosmic hall of mirrors as we explore my own soul collective: the Pluto in Libra generation. Born between 1972 and 1984, this short 12-year micro-generation overlaps nearly perfectly with the “Xennials”—a bridge generation living between worlds. Too young for Gen X’s clear-eyed cynicism and too old for the Millennial sense of collective mission, these Air-element souls are wired for balance and relationship, forever oscillating between extremes and searching for common ground. Born into a world where battles over gender, relationship, and personal identity were being fought in real time, Pluto in Libra souls became, almost by default, the mediators. We unpack their Venusian gifts of synthesis and diplomacy, while taking an honest look at their shadow: the paralysis of indecision when a choice must finally be made. We discuss what happened when these peace-seeking souls had their gentle twilight upbringings abruptly shattered by the intense, sexually charged, and dangerous Pluto in Scorpio era of the 1980s. Occupying the liminal space between stories, these Xennials found themselves perpetually weighing and seeking the balance point between their powerful, ambitious Leo parents and their gritty, authentic Virgo older siblings. We also trace their journey from this intense adolescence into the optimism of their young adulthood in the 1990s, leading up to their reckoning with the 2008 financial collapse—the moment the carefully curated balance they had built simply fell. Their ultimate gift is bridging, holding the unique power to harmonize and heal across our current generational divides. We invite you to explore with us this fascinating liminal generation! Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

50 min
May 18

EP08 — The Pluto in Virgo Generation

In this episode we explore the Pluto in Virgo generation. Daljeet is a Virgo soul, and offers us a grounded, first-hand perspective on this practical earth sign. We move into the distinct elemental shift from the fiery pinnacle of Leo down to the rooted, stabilizing realm of Virgo. Together, we unpack what it means to carry a soul-level imprint of service, humility, and healing, drawing on past-life echoes of shamans, herbalists, and ink-stained monastic scribes. We take an honest look at Virgo’s gifts and shadows, exploring how a deep-seated sense of imperfection and lack can tip into hyper-criticism or fuel our modern self-improvement industrial complex. We trace the course of these souls from their incarnation into a highly polluted, industrialized mid-century America, arriving during poignant cultural fractures like the Kennedy assassination. We chat about what happened when these pragmatic, earthy kids came of age during the airy, Venus-ruled Pluto in Libra era of the 1970s, discussing the awkwardness of being “wallflowers in the love garden” while their fiery Leo Boomer parents were off finding themselves, a dynamic that cemented their historical identity as the independent, survival-oriented latchkey kids we now know as the Gen X Nomads. We invite you to continue exploring these generational mysteries with us. Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

44 min
May 5

EP07 — The Pluto in Leo Generation

In this episode we finally dig into the actual astrological generations, exploring the Pluto in Leo generation, the soul collective who overlays nearly perfectly with the Baby Boomer prophets we discussed in part one. We discuss the deep, regal, and performative qualities of this fixed fire archetype. Born between 1938 and 1956 into the dawn of the atomic age and the explosive rise of Hollywood, these souls arrived with an unconscious evolutionary purpose to lead, captivate, and completely transform the world’s stage. But what happens when a generation born to shine is suddenly challenged to be humble? We spend a fair amount of time this episode unpacking their coming of age during the Pluto in Virgo era, a grounded period that forced them to master their craft before the massive “cosmic boost” of the late 1960s. We take a compassionate but honest look at the shadows of this archetype—the temptations of arrogance, a stubborn will to power, and the difficulty of stepping out of the spotlight. If you’ve ever wanted to understand the deeper, animated cosmic forces driving this generation’s unforgettable legacy, join us for this conversation. Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

42 min
Apr 27

EP06 — Astrology of Generations

We’re crossing a major threshold in our journey; the history lesson gets cosmic. We’ve traced the generational archetypes through centuries of American history — but the Strauss-Howe framework, powerful as it is, doesn’t attempt to address the question of “Why?” And I’m not suggesting they should have. But as we are assembled here, in these generations, at this particular crossroads, Daljeet and I discuss what he found immensely valuable — adding another framework, a complementary one which tracks the external arc of history, the soul-level evolutionary assignments that Pluto imprints on entire generations. Here we make the case that understanding both offers a depth and meaning to what’s happening right now. To help us navigate, Daljeet introduces a new figure — the Cosmic Director — and a new dimension of time entirely. Chronos was the historical, the linear; Kairos is what’s underneath, the meaning. Join us in considering your generation isn’t just a byproduct of the year you were born in, but a gathering of souls who’ve been working on the same evolutionary lessons for lifetimes? This episode introduces the idea that Pluto sign coheres a Soul Collective, and each Pluto generation carries a shared karmic imprint, a collective assignment that history keeps demanding they complete. In our conversation, we discuss how embracing this astrological perspective allows us to step out of rigid, quantitative history and into an imaginal space where we can do our collective shadow work and reclaim a deeper sense of meaning. While demographers identify generations retrospectively based on technological, political, and cultural phenomena, the astrological framework allows for anticipation. Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

55 min
Apr 20

EP05 — Gen Z: The Artists of Now

Daljeet and I are diving into Gen Z, the “Artists of Now”. Born during the winter crisis of the Fourth Turning, this cohort arrives at a deeply liminal moment in our four-act historical play. They grew up already knowing the world wasn’t going to last. They masked anxiety behind irony and absorbed catastrophe in real time. We discuss what it means to come of age entirely immersed in an algorithmic digital world, navigating everything from the relentless performance of influencer culture to the profound social interruptions and isolation of the pandemic. We reflect on how their ambient dread—fueled by constant societal threat, school lockdowns, and a surveillance state—has shaped a generation which uses sarcasm not just as humor, but as a necessary survival mechanism. We also grapple with the profound existential questions Gen Z faces as they enter young adulthood, particularly what it means to be a creator or a worker in an era where artificial intelligence is replacing entry-level jobs and challenging the very nature of human creativity. Yet, as Daljeet points out, their archetypal role isn’t to rebuild the old world, but to ingeniously remake it from the rubble. They possess a highly resourceful capacity to scavenge through the cultural wreckage, separating the trash from the treasure. This episode is Gen Z’s portrait. Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

1h 18m
Apr 13

EP04 — Millennials: The Heroes of Now

In this episode, Daljeet and I are turning the page to the Millennials—the “Heroes of Now.” Unlike the skeptical Gen X Nomads we discussed last time, Millennials were born into the third turning of history, the Unraveling, experiencing highly protected, scheduled childhoods. But the illusion of stability and structure didn’t last. They were raised to believe in the system, and then the system failed them — repeatedly and spectacularly. From the jarring loss of innocence following Columbine and 9/11 to coming of age under the watchful, compliant eye of the Patriot Act and the surveillance state, we explore what it was like for this generation to watch the promises of their youth disappear before they even had a chance to grasp them. Despite inheriting a fractured world and the crushing weight of the 2008 financial crisis, this cohort didn’t just give up; they have become architects of a new reality out of sheer necessity. Daljeet and I discuss how Millennials pivoted to expand upon the gig economy initially pioneered by Gen Xers. Millenials transformed themselves into digital brands, and quietly stepped up as the essential frontline workers who held society together during the pandemic. We take a moment to reframe the dismissive “snowflake” label often thrown their way, exploring how their collective, community-focused nature is actually one of their greatest strengths. This episode traces the Millennial arc through the Hero archetype: the generation that doesn’t get to choose its defining moment, only how it responds when the moment arrives. History has always had a Hero generation. Is this one ready for what’s still coming? Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

49 min
Apr 6

EP03 — Gen X: The Nomads of Now

In this episode, Daljeet and I unpack our very own generation: Gen X, the Nomads of Now. Following our deep dive into the Boomer Prophets, we shift our focus to what happens when a generation is born into the “second act” of history’s four-act play. We chat about the unique awkwardness of stepping into a cultural conversation that’s already in progress, which deeply shaped the classic Gen X feeling of being a misfit. We reflect on experiences such as growing up as a latchkey kid during a time of shifting economies and changing family dynamics. We explore how being left to our own devices forged a pragmatic, self-reliant generation (which grew to use sarcasm as its armor). As we trace the Nomad journey from the MTV-fueled despondency of our teenage years into the sober realities of navigating 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis in middle age, we discuss how Gen X naturally evolved into a generation of “fixers” and gig-economy pioneers tasked with managing a system they never fully trusted. Daljeet brings in some relevant pop culture references, from The Brady Bunch to The Breakfast Club, and along the way illustrates how our generation learned to adapt and hustle when the promise of corporate loyalty and pensions disappeared. It’s a revealing look at the quiet, hardworking cohort sandwiched between two incredibly vocal generations. Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

1h 11m
Mar 30

EP02 — Boomers: Prophets of Now

The Prophets were born at the “right” time, into a world considered safe, ordered, gleaming. And then they blew it up. This episode, Daljeet and I trace the Baby Boomers through all four turnings: the pristine suburban high of the 1950s, the electric rupture of Berkeley and Woodstock, the irony of Woodstock alumni on Wall Street, and the long, unresolved crisis of their elderhood (including two Boomer candidates in 2024, the torch still not passed). It’s a portrait of a generation shaped by idealism, fractured by competing visions, and unable — perhaps by their archetypal place in the historical cycle — to let go of the mission. If you love a Boomer, resent one, or are trying to understand one, this is for you. Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

1h 3m
Mar 23

EP01 — Introduction & Invitation

In this first episode of the Collective Souls Podcast, Daljeet and I (Mari) are setting the table. We realized pretty quickly this material isn’t meant to be read in isolation—it’s meant to be metabolized in conversation. We are approaching this podcast as a sort of book club, walking through the text to add more context beyond the page. To start getting our bearings, we have to look at how we measure time. We introduce the Strauss and Howe Fourth Turning model—a clock measurement of time which suggests history doesn’t march forward in a straight line, but moves in a repeating, four-act seasonal rhythm. As explored in the opening chapters of the book, we are currently navigating the winter Crisis of a cycle that began in the post-World War II “springtime” (the economic boom in the U.S. after the war). History doesn’t just happen to us; it is driven forward by four recurring generational archetypes. Right now, we are all active participants on this stage: Boomers as the visionary Prophets (and our oldest living generation), Gen X as the pragmatic Nomads, Millennials as the civic-minded Heroes, and Gen Z as the adaptive Artists (and our current youngest living generation). Understanding this Chronos rhythm doesn’t magically extinguish the “world on fire” tension we are all feeling; it does give us a shared vocabulary to understand our specific roles in the cycle. But a cycle is only as meaningful as the actors who are called to navigate it. The generation born into the peak of the post-war springtime—the ones who sparked the fires of the summer Awakening (1961 - 1981 by the Fourth Turning model)—are now the elders standing at the helm of our winter. In Episode 2, we turn our attention to the Boomers, the Prophets of our current saeculum. What happens when the youthful revolutionaries of the past are tasked with holding the center in the ultimate crisis? About the podcast: The podcast is a companion to the book Collective Souls: Generations, Astrology, and the Future of America, written by Daljeet Peterson. It's part book club, part conversation between author and editor, and part companion to the larger project. Author and editor (Mari Budlong) dig deeper — more personal, more present-tense, more willing to sit with what doesn't resolve. They go behind the scenes, talk about writing process, and sit with some of the tensions the frameworks don’t resolve. Links: Book Club Guide Resources Buy the Book: Paperback | Kindle Listen to the Audiobook: Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Spotify | Substack Join the Substack Community: Substack This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com/subscribe

27 min

12 Episodes

Collective Souls is both an inquiry and an invitation. It blends astrology, generational theory, and soul work to reframe how we understand our place in history—not just as individuals, but as participants in a much longer story. collectivesoulspodcast.substack.com

Creator

Mari Budlong & Daljeet Peterson
Years Active

2K
Episodes

12
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

© Daljeet Peterson
Show Website

Collective Souls Podcast