Newsletter 23 September

Dear colleagues,
We hope you all had a good summer and wish you a peaceful transition through autumn into winter.

Many of you have probably been receiving and working with the ‘yin yang li lunar solar calendar’, commonly known as the ‘Stems & Branches Calendar’ for many years and the Constitutional Acupuncture Team would like to announce some changes, not so much about the content but more about practical aspects around the calendar.

Joan Duveen originally started the calendar, as he saw the need and benefit to have particular information at hand for his daily clinical work with patients according to Stems & Branches Constitutional Acupuncture.

Jolanda Mourik-de Vilder then kindly agreed to take over the publishing and over many years of research and in constant consultation with Joan, has been adding more information about certain aspects of the calendar.

Jolanda has decided to retire from this work and the Constitutional Acupuncture Team around Joan decided to take over and continue this important work.

The information needed for our daily clinical work will be available on our website at www.constitutionalacupuncture.org and we will also continue to have the calendar for each coming year available as a booklet to purchase, but in electronic format. All this work is still in progress, and we will keep you updated.

We also decided to record a series of podcasts, where we will discuss the different aspects of the calendar and how to use this information for our work with patients in clinic.

The first podcast with a general discussion around the calendar has already been recorded and others are to follow so please check out the podcast section on our website.

We would like to include you in this process and ask you to email us any questions and suggestions that you might have and want to hear about in our podcasts. Please send your questions to: info@constitutionalacupuncture.org.

New Article by Joan: Contemplations on the Solar Term ‘Autumn Equinox’

23 September marks the beginning of the Host Qi of Yang Ming and the Solar Term of ‘Autumn Equinox’, where enter a period of gathering, inner clarity and refinement.

Joan has published a new article with his contemplations.

As in the previous pieces, the Solar Period is subdivided into three micro-seasons San Hou, each one offering contemplations and practices to attune to these seasonal energetic shifts.

He invites you to read through these reflections and, where possible, try the suggested exercises.

Joan would be very happy to hear from you and share your impressions and experiences with him and the community.

Please feel welcome do so in the comment box on our website under Articles & Blogs.

New Seminars and Courses

Make sure to check our seminars page, as there are some new courses that we listed, including a 2-year Stems & Branches Course, starting in October 2027.

Ask-Share-Learn

Some of you may not be aware that we host a community forum on our website, not only for you to get answers to questions you have in relation to Constitutional Acupuncture, but it should also serve as a meeting place and platform to exchange ideas. We love your contributions and interactions and it’s nice that the forum develops into a place for asking, sharing and learning for
all of us. None of us has all the answers but we can explore concepts together.

How to get to the Forum:

Please go to the footer of the website, and on the left side you will find the Ask-Share-Learn button that will get you to the forum.

Support Us

We offer most of the content on our website for free. Our website serves as a platform for all of us to meet and share. Your participation and appreciation mean everything to us yet if you feel like supporting us with a financial contribution, it would be much appreciated and helps us to maintain the website. Thank you!

Warm regards,
Your Constitutional Acupuncture Team