“Where’s the Joy at?” – Edge Column

(originally published in The Edge magazine, page 2 in June/July 2022, Edition #343)

by SchaOn Blodgett, CCP, BTAT

For the last month, I’ve been sitting here racking my brain on HOW can I talk about “Joy” with everything that we’re still dealing with, without appearing inauthentic, out of touch, and dismissive. Hearing on almost a daily basis of someone within my family, friend, or acquaintance circles having a stroke, being diagnosed with some cancer, some heart/blood clot issue, or finding out someone died by suicide. It’s overwhelming at times.

Tonight I was sitting here watching the opening credits of the final episode in Season 5 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and the song’s lyrics inspired me; something Ru says often, “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love somebody else?”. I realized, it isn’t just about Joy – it’s also about Love and tapping into that. Depression and suicide are HUGE in the LGBTQIA+ community, even before the pandemic, and we are constantly looking to find not just Joy, but really, Love – that ultimate Joy. Something earlier in the season also hit me, in the gay community (and also common in the Pagan community), is “we get to choose our family”. This isn’t just limited to the gay or pagan communities; it is an option for everyone.

So, first… ask yourself, “How CAN I love myself?” Next, a nice simple at-home therapy within Esogetic Holistic Medicine/Colorpuncture is working with the Zone of Joy. This zone, located on the wrist and is about 3 fingerwidths by 2 fingerwidths near Pericardium 6 & 7, can be activated by the color orange. Another simple option to activate this zone is by using the Esogetics Relax Oil, a specific and powerful blend of 24 essential oils. Don’t have the oil or light? You can try visualizing the color orange while rubbing the areas in a circular motion for 2 minutes.