8 Branches Chinese Medicine

8 Branches Chinese Medicine Holistic Healthcare for the Whole Being

At 8 Branches, we promote holistic health care based on the fundamental principle that good health comes from physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being and interconnectedness. It is the collaboration of form and function, a relationship of yinyang, which embodies our spirit in this earthly realm. Connecting oneself to the rhythms of life, nature, season, and being in right relationship with time and space allows for great ease and awareness. Chinese medicine embraces prevention and self-care practices, using non-invasive treatments that support our natural abilities to heal. In all stages and phases of life - we strive to empower individuals with knowledge, and act as a catalyst for those in pursuit of deeper connection with oneself and the greater oneness. Therapies and guidance include acupuncture/acupressure, energy work and herbal medicine as well as breath work, food as medicine and seasonal living.

Winter Begins | Li Dong 立冬Tenth Lunar MonthYi Jing Hexagram: Kun | ReceptiveThe ground hardens as the nights grow long. ...
11/10/2025

Winter Begins | Li Dong 立冬
Tenth Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Kun | Receptive

The ground hardens as the nights grow long. Yin begins its peak. Yang stores to create strength for its revival.

Cultivate inner stillness. Retreat energy inward. Dress appropriately.

___

Southern Hemisphere:

Summer Begins | Li Xia 立夏
Fourth Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Qian | Creative

Yang that resides deep within during winter is reaching its full potential. The sun shines brightly, filling the sky.

Visit flower gardens, and connect with spirit. Careful, yang is still maturing.

The other night, I was called to view the full moon and II woke to a spotlight shining upon my back door. It was so magn...
11/10/2025

The other night, I was called to view the full moon and II woke to a spotlight shining upon my back door. It was so magnificent, high in the sky, shining down upon me as I stepped outside to gaze. I did a short moon ingestion practice, drinking in her light. The aura that surrounded her was phenomenal—colors like a rainbow. It was unlike any usual gazing;

I was struck by both her beauty and intensity—so appropriate for these current moments in time.

I met this glorious full moon at a halfway point in the lunar unfolding, as we shift from the hexagram of Splitting Apart into the Receptivity of Earth. It also coincided with the transition into a new solar mode, and I continue to feel the story of the year unfolding in ways I had never expected.

There’s something about the way the lunar and solar cycles synchronize that can feel either deeply settling or slightly disjointed; and this year feels more like a time loop as the full moons align with the beginnings of each month. It’s as though this illumination is revealing both the new beginnings and the powerful significance of endings simultaneously.

Each new moon invites the unknown to envision what we have not yet seen. Over the next weeks, as the full moon wanes, I feel called to honor that space: to gently disentangle from past patterns and behaviors that no longer serve me.

I invite you to explore this rhythm too, as we move deeper into Earth’s receptivity from November into December, as we create space to receive fully from the womb, the mysterious and the unknown. May we hold ourselves in trust and remain open to the clarity it brings.

Hexagram 2 – Kun: Receptive PowerAfter Bo (Stripping Away), when old forms collapse and what once supported us begins to...
10/22/2025

Hexagram 2 – Kun: Receptive Power

After Bo (Stripping Away), when old forms collapse and what once supported us begins to dissolve, the path leads naturally into Kun (Receptive Power). Bo clears the field and asks us to release control, to let go of what no longer nourishes life. The disintegration may feel like loss, but it is simply the soil turning, preparing itself for renewal. What follows is not emptiness, but space and fertile stillness that allows something new to take root.

In the transition from Bo to Kun, we move from death and decay into the fecundity of the earth. The stripping away gives way to receiving; action yields to stillness. Now, rather than pushing ahead, we allow ourselves to be shaped by what is coming. The wisdom of this turning lies in trust — trusting that what has fallen away will become nourishment for the next beginning.

Kun is the power of the great feminine, the yielding strength of the Earth itself. It teaches patience, grace, and the quiet confidence that comes through faith in natural timing. Like rich soil receiving the rain, Kun holds, nurtures, and brings forth new life without struggle. Success comes not through control, but through alignment and the willingness to listen, to wait, and to move only when the way opens.

Receptivity is not passive; it is profoundly creative. It gathers the scattered fragments of Bo and transforms them into form and meaning. This is the time to slow down, to receive what life is offering, and to cultivate what is emerging with care. When we surrender to the flow, our actions grow out of presence rather than pressure.

From Bo’s clearing to Kun’s cultivation, we learn the rhythm of transformation — that what is stripped away today becomes the ground of tomorrow’s growth.

Frost Descends | Shuang Jiang 霜降Ninth Lunar MonthYi Jing Hexagram: Bo | Splitting ApartAutumn collapses into winter. Yan...
10/22/2025

Frost Descends | Shuang Jiang 霜降
Ninth Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Bo | Splitting Apart

Autumn collapses into winter. Yang diminishes as days grow short, and it's known that winter is coming.

Keep feet warm. Reflect. Let go of what is not needed.

___

Southern Hemisphere:

Grain Rain | Gu Yu 谷雨
Third Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Kuai | Resolution

Spring expands into summer as yang nears its peak. Yin water is pushed to overflow. Growth expands.

Keep dry. Avoid damp spaces. Notice blooms and buds.

Hexagram 23 | Bo (Stripping Away, Splitting/Falling Apart)This is a time when things fall apart, not through malice or m...
10/22/2025

Hexagram 23 | Bo
(Stripping Away, Splitting/Falling Apart)

This is a time when things fall apart, not through malice or mistake, but because the cycle has reached its natural end. The old structure can no longer sustain itself. Resources are thinning, illusions are multiplying, and what once appeared solid begins to crumble. Reality becomes a hall of mirrors—confusing, deceptive, filled with echoes of what used to be true. When the ground beneath your feet begins to shift, resist the impulse to fight or rebuild immediately. Instead, pause. Step back. Return to what is familiar and enduring. The strength you conserve now will be essential when renewal begins.

Stripping away means letting go of what has served its purpose. Old habits, beliefs, and attachments that once offered stability are now obstacles to growth. The knife that carves the oracle bone reveals the hidden message beneath the surface and the truth that cannot be seen until the surface is cut away. This process can feel like loss, even death, but it is also a purification. Only when the decaying layers have been removed can the essence be restored to life.

̇ching

Focus your attention on the area of your lungs. Feel them expand with inhalation and deflate with exhalation. Get a sens...
10/06/2025

Focus your attention on the area of your lungs. Feel them expand with inhalation and deflate with exhalation. Get a sense of fullness and strength in the lungs. Now envision a radiant white energy filling them. Let the lungs be rich and strong with the white energy. Smile at your lungs and develop a sense of appreciation for their continuous good work. Mentally thank them for their efforts and encourage them to be healthy and vigorous. Note that sadness and melancholy tend to manifest in the lungs. Let go of all sadness and melancholy, and instead invite in righteousness or social responsibility, the virtue associated with the lungs. (Chia and Chia 1993, 94).

🙏🏼📖Discussions on the Inner Smile found in Taming Time: Daoist ways of working with multiple temporalities, Kohn

Autumn Equinox | Qiu Fen 秋分Eighth Lunar MonthYi Jing Hexagram: Guan | ObservationDay and night are equal, moving toward ...
09/22/2025

Autumn Equinox | Qiu Fen 秋分
Eighth Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Guan | Observation

Day and night are equal, moving toward growing darkness. The work of harvest is nearly complete, and stability matters.

Gaze inward. Be calm and steady. Balance activity and rest.

___

Southern Hemisphere:

Spring Equinox | Chun Fen 春分
Second Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Da Zhuang | Great Power

Balance. The realization of spring comes to greater consciousness as day and night are equal length.

Appreciate life. Get outside, but mind the wind.

Upon reading a brief review entitled Intangible Virtue (Coons), I was inspired to sit with Chapter 38 of the Dao De Jing...
09/21/2025

Upon reading a brief review entitled Intangible Virtue (Coons), I was inspired to sit with Chapter 38 of the Dao De Jing. I was struck by Laozi’s statement, “The highest virtue is not virtuous,” and the contrast between being authentic versus performative in our pursuit of virtuousness. The unfolding path of benevolence, righteousness, and ritual is a beautiful reminder of the natural order of things—and how far we can drift into chaos and confusion when we lose ourselves.

38
…Therefore, when the Way is lost there is virtue.
When virtue is lost there is benevolence.
When benevolence is lost there is righteousness.
When righteousness is lost there are rituals.
Rituals are the end of fidelity and honesty,
And the beginning of confusion…

It is a beautiful reminder of our intent verses our capacity—a concept newly woven into my practice these past seasons. With intent to be virtuous we can practice, yet without the capacity to hold an innate sense of virtuousness our actions will cause chaos and confusion— regardless of our intention.

The practice is to be real with ourselves, to align in right relationship, with deep authenticity. Our commitment of trust in faith in the Dao, the teachings and the way of the good person, will keep us rooted to return again and again—even as we stray. Without judgment, this becomes both an act of service and a prayer we walk being human.

Practice makes progress. And perfection? Perhaps it is the endless process of transformation—one we may never fully obtain in a single lifetime.

White Dew | Bai Lu 白露Eighth Lunar MonthYi Jing Hexagram: Guan | ObservationYin increases, and energy is directed inward....
09/13/2025

White Dew | Bai Lu 白露
Eighth Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Guan | Observation

Yin increases, and energy is directed inward. Contemplation sets in as the display of morning dew, and cooler temperatures take hold.

Notice the cool, dry wind carrying seeds of life. Listen for whispers of inspiration.

___

Southern Hemisphere:

Awakening of Insects | Jing Zhe 惊蛰
Second Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Da Zhuang | Great Power

Below the surface, insects begin to stir. Yang breaks through to stimulate life.

Be curious, but cautious. Do not exert yourself.

The invisible becomes visible.As the day awakens, the morning dew rests upon the webs, illuminating the quiet work of th...
09/13/2025

The invisible becomes visible.
As the day awakens, the morning dew rests upon the webs, illuminating the quiet work of the night. We have arrived to the season of great endings—and with every ending, a beginning is born.

Illusions are falling, splitting apart. The patterns of behaviors that once held us are facing refinement, and the sharp edges of discernment may sever indiscriminately. Whether or not we feel ready, change insists we move forward—yet we do so holding the lessons of our past. Even though we may hold two realities at once, there will be collapse once the scales tip. The metal season invites us to exhale fully, to let go completely, and to return to our true selves.

Root yourself in trust and faith, so the virtues you wish to embody continue to take form. Be curious about feelings of discomfort and drop into your heart, to find the knowing to guide you. The duality and division invites stagnation and separation, while wonder opens to possibilities. And in that openness, our hearts discover the way of being.

As certainty, delusion, and old attachments unravel, the unknown reveals its forgotten beauty. Do not let others diminish your path. Your effort, your devotion, your commitments are seen—and they are met with appreciation. In your most tender moments, you will be held by those who recognize your true nature. This is love—pure, enduring, and protected.

End of Heat | Chu Shu 处暑Seventh Lunar MonthYi Jing Hexagram: Pi | ObstructionYang becomes exhausted. As yin grows, heavi...
08/27/2025

End of Heat | Chu Shu 处暑
Seventh Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Pi | Obstruction

Yang becomes exhausted. As yin grows, heaviness is common. Yin settled below creates obstruction.

Gather what is needed. Avoid excess, including emotions.

___

Southern Hemisphere:

Rain Water | Yu Shui 雨水
First Lunar Month
Yi Jing Hexagram: Tai | Peace

Yin water gently nourishes, inviting yang to emerge. Hibernation ends.

Walk outside. Wear loose clothes. Avoid over-productivity.

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Milwaukee, WI
53207

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Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 12pm

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Holistic healthcare for the whole family

At 8 Branches Chinese Medicine, we promote holistic health care based on the fundamental principle that good health comes from physical, mental/emotional and spiritual well-being. Chinese medicine embraces prevention and self-care practices, using non-invasive treatments that support a person’s natural abilities to heal. From birth and beyond- we help empower individuals with the knowledge to pursue more natural alternatives. Providing therapies and guidance with acupuncture, massage and herbal medicine as well as breath work, nutrition and birthing support. "It is my intention to support individuals in manifesting balance in life, while encouraging them to be active participants on their health care path. 8 Branches serves as a safe space to nurture oneself and be present in physical body while connecting to our greater spiritual purpose." - Sheri LM Lee, MSOM, L.Ac., LMT