Finally after the summer solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere, winter one in the South) days are getting shorter or longer depending on which side of the world we are, that's the traditional sign marking the beginning of the Goat month according to Chinese astrology, which represents the time when the Sun and other energies begin to decline and lose strength, but still very slowly and almost imperceptibly.

And this time it coincides with the year of the Goat, so its influence and trends will be somewhat doubled, so from July 8, when the month of the goat begins, we could talk about the Double Goat because its influences are doubly present, because of the month and because of the year.

So, from July 8 to August 8 we can expect things to go a bit slower than usual, but at the same time it will be a favourable moment for artistic, spiritual and sentimental issues, then one basically should try to take life easy during those weeks and row towards the warm and beautiful side of life instead of trying to fight hard against obstacles and problems... afterwards, in August, the Monkey month will be a good time to think about some brilliant ideas to cope with those problems.

From an astronomical and astrological point of view, it's noteworthy that in recent weeks we could see Jupiter and Venus getting closer and closer in the night sky at sunset, and from June 30 they began to drift apart.

This is an event associated with the metal and wood elements, represented by Venus and Jupiter respectively, according to Chinese astrology, and in practice it translates in coincidences and special meetings that increase as it approaches the point of closeness between these planets, then decreasing in intensity as planets get away again.

But anyway, what is clear is that these two planets in the sky will look very nice in the warm summer nights of the Northern Hemisphere ^_^.

Going on with more astronomical ephemerides, this July has 2 full moons, on July 2 and 31, it seems silly but usually each month has only one!

Also on July the 6th will be the aphelion of 2015, which is the day when Earth is farthest from the Sun, just a few million kilometers apart, but still even in the places where it's summertime that will not stop hot weather because sun's rays reach almost perpendicular to the Earth... basically, the angle at which the Sun incide over the Earth is much more important than the distance.

As for the Chinese festivals, this month there is no one as far as I know, maybe because traditionally it was a time when there was much work to do in the countryside and it wasn't a good idea to spend time in celebrations when the priority was to ensure a good harvest.

But in August there are two festivals to compensate, the Magpie and Ghosts ones, falling this year on 20 and 28 August respectively, I'll talk about them in the predictions for August.

Until then, enjoy the most goat time of the year, either in summer or winter!