Description
This year-long course offers a guided immersion into the cosmological foundations of Chinese Medicine and their practical clinical application through the study of wuyun liuqi (aka Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches) as presented in the Huangdi Neijing.
This course explores how cycles of time, climate and celestial patterning influence physiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment. Combining Classical texts, practical application and experiential observation, students will learn to understand Chinese medicine within its original cosmological framework.
The course balances theory with clinical relevance, making complex material accessible while preserving the depth and sophistication of the Classical tradition.
WYLQ covers the domains of
- Traditional Chinese calendars, divination and agriculture
- Chinese astronomy-astrology
- Chinese medicine for prevention and treatment of illness
- Martial arts and Daoism
- Yijing and fengshui
Throughout the year students will explore:
- Yin and Yang, Five Phases and Six qi
- Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches
- Wuyun (Five Circuits/Movements) and liuqi (Six qi)
- Cycles of time and the sexagenary calendar
- Climatic influences and constitutional tendencies
- Guest-host relationships in the Neijing
- Seasonal physiology and pathology
- Cosmology and resonance in Chinese medicine
- Classical approaches to diagnosis and treatment
- How the cycles of the cosmos affect humans and what to do to maintain health.
When
12 two hour online sessions; 6-8pm;
from Oct 2026 to Sept 2027
Sessions to be recorded: course available for latecomers to catch up until course ends
Sat 17 Oct 2026, Sat 14 Nov , Sat 12 Dec, Sat 9 Jan 2027, Sat 6 Feb, Sat 13 Mar, Sat 10 Apr, Sat 8 May, Sat 5 June, Sat 10 July, Sat 7 Aug, Sat 4 Sept 2027
Eligibility
We welcome:
- Acupuncturists
- Practitioners and students of Chinese medicine
- Herbalists and bodyworkers
- Practitioners interested in Classical Chinese thought
- Students of Daoist cosmology and calendrics
- Anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of the philosophical and cosmological foundations of Chinese medicine
No prior knowledge of Stems & Branches required, but a background in the basics of Chinese Medicine is necessary.
About the Teacher
Deborah Woolf has practiced and taught acupuncture for over 25 years. A graduate and former faculty member of the International College of Oriental Medicine (ICOM), she specialises in Classical Chinese Medicine, with particular focus on wuyun liuqi, (aka Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches), calendrics and the cosmological foundations of the Huangdi Neijing.
Deborah was originally introduced to WYLQ by Joan Duveen and Peter van Kervel. The daughter of a historian and a linguist, she continued her studies in Classical Chinese Medicine with Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée, Peter Firebrace, Dr Edward Neal, David White and many more. Alongside a busy clinical practice, she became interested in the source material for WYLQ, so studied and translated classical Chinese medical texts, focusing on the Huangdi Neijing. This led to an MA on numbers and divination in Chinese Medicine and a PhD from University College London on the guest-host relationship in the wuyun liuqi chapters of the Suwen
Her teaching is known for combining intellectual rigour with warmth, humour and accessibility, helping students engage deeply with material that can often seem complex or intimidating.
Deborah’s intellectually rigorous approach, grounds abstract theory in living clinical experience – giving you the chance to engage with the original texts, understand how the Neijing thinks and breathes in order to link cosmology to real life.
Students frequently describe Deborah’s teaching as inspirational, transformative and engaging. She is particularly valued for her ability to make the cosmological foundations of Chinese medicine both understandable and clinically relevant, bridging ancient texts and contemporary practice in ways that are grounded, experiential and alive.
Cancellation policy for CPD course bookings at ICOM
- Refunds for cancellations two or more months before the course commencement will incur a 15% administration fee.
- Refunds for cancellations between two months and two weeks before the course commencement will incur a 25% administration fee.
- Refunds for cancellations two weeks before the course commencement will incur a 50% administration fee.
- No refund will be given for no shows or cancellations upon the course commencement.
- Any amount overpaid by the student will automatically be refunded to the student’s account.
