We all know our astrological sign but do we know about where astrology comes from? Astrology originates from ancient Mesopotamia (aka Iraq). And it’s always been about much more than personality traits. Medieval Muslims scheduled many ordinary activities—from haircuts to sex—based on astrological timing. In China, often when someone is ill, a couple is arguing, a child has behavioral problems, etc., it’s believed their zodiac signs are not placed well in their home. History shows how easily indigenous traditions were stolen, renamed, and sold for profit: astrology is no different. So what can today’s practitioners do to protect astrology from exploitation and opportunists? Rituals are not to be consumed – they are to be respected. From finding a practitioner with a sense of history, to deepening your knowledge of the people who first practiced it, here are the ways you can keep astrology sacred.

On Saturday, nearly 100,000 people gathered in Itaewon, South Korea for the first Halloween with no social distancing rules since the pandemic. 156 people were killed in the crowd. As victims’ families mourn, Korean officials admit inadequate preparedness. Most victims were teens, in their 20’s, and women. More than 3 hours before the incident, emergency calls began warning police, but the 130 officers present were focused on cracking down on drugs instead. At 10PM, those at the bottom of a narrow, sloped alley fell and toppled over each other. Koreans are left to ask–why did this have to happen?

There are nearly 27M refugees in the world and a quarter of them are now in rural Australia. Known as less than progressive, Australia's policies have been historically condemned as outright abusive. But today, refugees claim they feel welcome in Australia. In 2020, a study found 22% of immigrants in Australia faced discrimination and 90% of those felt this discrimination negatively impacted their health. From Afghans to Filipinos, refugee communities today are feeling that their resettlement in the small towns of Australia are not only successful but also fruitful. This is because small towns need people, as everyone relocates to urban cities. And though many refugees still experience racism and Islamophobia, this can be a turning point for Australia as a host country. Will they live up to the title of ‘one of the most multicultural countries in the world’?

In the US, it's spooky season–but how about in Asia? Is there anything similar to Halloween? From India, the Philippines and Cambodia to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia, you’ll come to learn that spirits, festivals, and rituals exist across Asian cultures alike. Burning incense, offerings from cars to houses, and honoring spirits are ways that people celebrate during the Hungry Ghost Festival. In other parts of Asia, millions visit cemeteries on All Saints Day like in Manila. Pitru Paksha is a time when ancestors visit the living in India, for Hindu believers. Does your culture believe in ghosts? What traditions do you observe to honor the dead and their spirits?

After canceling dinner with Nancy Pelosi, President Yoon has announced he wants South Korea to become the world’s top weapons supplier. After Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, Yoon protects his relationship with China by abruptly devolving their dinner plans to a phone call. These plans for South Korea to lead in the arms industry makes many fearful. Meanwhile, Project Dastaan unveils a new VR initiative for Indian and Pakistani people to revisit their ancestral home villages pre-partition. University of Oxford is allowing people, who were alive during the partition that separated two nations into Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India, to visit their villages. Is this a moving idea or creepy and sensationalist?

When crowned in 1952, the Queen was 25 years old. She inherited responsibility for hundreds of millions of colonial subjects spread across 70 colonies, territories, and mandates. She never distanced herself from the mechanisms of the Empire and in fact, remained complicit in it and benefited from it throughout her lifetime. In fact, Queen Elizabeth’s 186 carat crown jewel is worth $591M. The Kohinoor diamond – originally from India – is seen as an imperial trophy, and has come to represent British wealth, genocide, and colonization. Since her death, calls for its return have been heightened, and with it--questions to why the monarchy exists. This winter, almost 1.3 millions Britons are expected to fall into poverty and inflation is at its highest in 40 years. What will the new King need to do to truly begin to make amends for Britain’s dark past?