Lifestyle
Art Under Occupation: Palestinian-Canadian artist Hanny Khoury talks art, identity, and belonging

Palestinian-Canadian artist Hanny Khoury has spent years thoughtfully exploring his identity, trying to establish his understanding of what it means to be Palestinian.Art has always been his lifeline, an outlet where he channels frustrations and emotions, seeking a means of representing his past in a way that empathizes with an international audience. From Palestine to Canada, his journey has been difficult and encouraging, a true redemption arc that’s far from over.
Khoury grew up in a small village in historical Palestine-one of six children-under the Israeli occupation. As far back as he can remember, his identity, and the identities of his family and neighbors, were conflated with the information being spread by the occupation. “You are a Palestinian, a minority living under occupation. The environment is weird, nothing is clear.You can’t identify yourself and you don’t grow up with a clear identity that’s solid,” says Khoury.“From school to the media, the occupation is basically programming your brain, to make you forget your identity.”
Art was the one thing that could ground Khoury to something tangible. It was a means of coping with the instability of his daily life and allowed him to express his confusion. As he describes, it was a means of creating an entirely new world: “It’s like I was creating my own environment, my own life, the way I wanted it to be. With time, art became a healing process for me. It became the one thing through which I rebuild the relationship with everything around me and make peace with it. Heal it. That’s how art spoke to me. Art became like food for me, or water.”Even when his parents struggled to afford necessities, his mother would use soil and flowers to make natural pigments he could paint with. Walls, doors, broken pieces of wood-anything could serve as a canvas in Khoury’s eyes.
Eventually, after years of tension, both internally and with his environment, he made his way to Canada. This fresh start opened his mind, and he finally found the space and time to focus on his practice. It was during this period that he began to consider the parameters of being a Palestinian artist in a contemporary context. As a child, Khoury’s sources of artistic inspiration were limited to what was acceptable under the occupation. Names from Western art history, like Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso, were tolerable, but examples of Palestinian art were scarce. “Back then, I didn’t have anything that made me a Palestinian artist. I got this sense of belonging later in life, through my own research. I developedan awareness about our existence as Palestinians and then my art started to belong to the history and the story of Palestine. Before that, I didn’t have the opportunity to learn that information,” says Khoury.
Through his studies and careful research, Khoury began to form his own idea about the critical difference between being a Palestinian artist and producing Palestine art. “I think the Palestinian story of identity loss, it had its own time,” he explains.“Silman Mansour, Nabil Anani, Ismail Shammout-those artists had to do it because they had to construct their identity and the identity of the Palestinian people. For us, as the young generation in or from Palestine, we must do something different. We have to work with an international language, while still belonging to the Palestinian identity.” Khoury’s search for identity is also a search for expression, finding a way to leverage Palestinian form to resonate on an international, even universal, level.
Currently represented by Mark Hachem Gallery, Khoury’s work is set to make an impression on audiences around the world. He has already made great strides with his ability to translate his own experiences into a visual, emotionallanguage that anyone can connect with. “What I have suffered in my life, the experiences, the journey I had in Palestine-this is what developed my international language of art. This is where it came from. The figures, the colors, the balance. Everything that makes up my work is Palestinian, but the figures themselves aren’t necessarily Palestinian,” he explains. “Art is translating the time period that we live in, visually.The modern world of art is not translating specific moments, it’s translating specific emotions. We talk about our conflicts, our difficulties, our pain, the system. That’s what we talk about as artists. So, when we look at art, it should deliver emotion. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with belonging to the physical world. It can be connected to the emotional world, or faith.” Confident and passionate, Khoury is forging ahead with a new vision of what Palestinian art could be, offering the next generation of young artists what he was denied growing up: an inspirational figure.
Lifestyle
How To Combine Astrology With Self-Care Rituals To Enhance Daily Living

Self-care looks different for everyone. And it could look different day by day. Sometimes you just need meditation or journaling or a grounding ritual. Sometimes you need movement. Sometimes you need more rest. Have you ever wondered why it’s different day-by-day and why you can’t seem to “stick” to something?
Most of us know something about Western astrology, but have you ever heard of Vedic astrology (Jyotish)? Vedic astrology focuses on your moon sign (which may differ from your Western astrological chart), planetary transits, and Dasha period. These three areas shape how you feel, act, and process emotions every day.
The time management app align27 doesn’t just focus on your typical horoscope. It gives you a personalized Vedic birth chart and a daily favorability forecast based on planetary influences. It uses a simple yet powerful stoplight system — green for favorable times, yellow for neutral, and red for moments when it’s best to slow down — to help you navigate each day with intention.
Why Vedic astrology and self-care go hand in hand
Ever have days where everything flows effortlessly and others where nothing seems to go right? That’s not random — it’s the influence of the planets at play. Vedic astrology teaches that planetary transits and periods, and the Moon’s placement each day all impact your energy.
By understanding these influences, align27 customizes your self-care rituals to work with the planetary energies rather than against them. The result? A self-care routine that feels more natural, restorative, and in harmony with your personal astrology.
How to align self-care with align27
1. Follow your moon sign for emotional well-being
In Vedic astrology, your Moon sign reveals how you process emotions, handle stress, and recharge. The align27 app provides real-time insights into your Moon sign’s current state, helping you plan self-care that supports your well-being.
- Fire Moons (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius): align27 will highlight action-oriented times, which are perfect for movement-based self-care like yoga, walking, or a workout.
- Earth Moons (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn): Your best self-care moments often fall during grounding planetary periods. The align27 app helps you time activities like cooking, gardening, or Ayurvedic oil massages.
- Air Moons (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius): Mental stimulation is key for you. Use align27’s favorable green time slots to plan journaling, reading, or creative work.
- Water Moons (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces): Emotional balance is crucial; align27 suggests introspective yellow periods during which self-care like meditation, breathwork, or music therapy can help you reset.
By checking your daily Moon sign insights in align27, you can sync your self-care with your emotional energy instead of forcing routines that don’t feel right.
2. Sync with planetary transits for daily rituals
Planetary movements in Vedic astrology directly influence your daily energy. Instead of following the same self-care routine every day, use the align27 app to check which planets are strongest and which ones need balancing.
- Green periods: Ideal for action — schedule workouts, deep work, or personal projects.
- Yellow periods: Best for reflection — meditation, light reading, or connecting with loved ones.
- Red periods: Time to pause — prioritize self-care, avoid big decisions, and rest.
For example:
- If align27 shows a red period under Mercury’s influence, it’s a sign to unplug from tech and practice silence (Mauna) instead.
- A green period during a Moon transit suggests a great time for emotional processing through journaling or spiritual rituals.
- If Saturn is active, align27 might recommend structured self-care, like a disciplined yoga practice or fasting.
The daily timing feature of align27 takes the guesswork out of self-care, helping you plan around when the universe is actually working with you, not against you.
3. Use your Venus sign for beauty and self-love rituals
In Vedic astrology, Venus (Shukra) represents luxury, pleasure, and how you experience beauty. But your Venus sign in your birth chart tells you what kind of self-care truly nourishes your soul.
- Venus in Fire Signs: You love bold, energizing self-care. Ayurvedic herbal treatments, bright colors, and invigorating scents like sandalwood or saffron uplift your energy.
- Venus in Earth Signs: You prefer high-quality, natural self-care. Organic skincare, silk bedding, and nourishing food rituals align with your Venus energy.
- Venus in Air Signs: You thrive on social and intellectual beauty. Try mantra recitation, decorating your space with art, or engaging in deep conversations.
- Venus in Water Signs: You need emotionally fulfilling self-care. Essential oil baths, soft textures, and music therapy create a calming atmosphere.
4. Strengthen your planetary weaknesses through rituals
Each planet in your birth chart has strengths and weaknesses based on its placement. You can balance planetary imbalances through specific self-care rituals:
- Weakened moon? Drink warm milk with cardamom, wear white, and meditate under the full Moon.
- Struggling with Rahu energy? Reduce digital distractions, light camphor, and chant “Om Rahave Namah.”
- Mars overactivity? Avoid spicy food, practice slow yoga, and wear cool colors like blue or white.
The align27 app personalizes these remedies based on your birth chart and daily planetary shifts.
Align your self-care with the stars
When you integrate Vedic astrology into your self-care routine, you’re not just following trends but tuning into the ancient wisdom of timing and energy alignment. Instead of forcing yourself into a one-size-fits-all self-care plan, you can create rituals that genuinely support you based on the cosmic influences at play.
With tools like align27, you can easily track your best days for rest, action, and reflection — making self-care effortless and aligned with the universe. Because taking care of yourself isn’t just about doing more — it’s about doing what’s right for you, at the right time.
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