Class Notes & Profiles

Written in the Stars

By Lindsay Dawson ’05

While the VQ’s Class Notes are filled with tales from the corporate world, academia, and retirement in sunny climes, Heidi Rose Robbins ‘88 (pictured) adds another dimension to their mix. Last summer, in a note to her class correspondent about the birth of her daughter—and after many years of procrastination—she announced her choice of career. Robbins works, she is now able to admit, as a professional astrologer.

Originally trained as an actor and director, Robbins opened her professional astrology practice nearly 10 years ago. “I grew up in a household where I learned the zodiac with my ABCs. So long before I went to Vassar, I was using the language of astrology to understand and interpret my world,” she said. She hesitated to share news of her profession with Class Notes, fearing that fellow alumnae/i would regard her career with condescension: “I have always been acutely aware that for most people astrology is a form of fortune telling and that the astrological column in the newspaper offering advice is read rather like a fortune cookie, something to be read for amusement and then forgotten.”

The VQ commissioned a special astrological blueprint from Robbins, asking her to examine the horoscope of Vassar the institution. Her extensive report concluded that “a glimpse at Vassar’s birth chart reveals the potential for a revolutionary, dynamic, open-minded institution valuing education arts.” The full text of her findings can be read in the online additions department of this issue. To learn more about Robbins and perhaps commission an astrological reading of your own, visit www.heidirose.com.