Dear reader, 

Last month I taught Divinity and the Written Word and it was probably the funnest class I have ever taught. It was a small group of weirdos just nerding out about god, medieval mystic women, Mary Magdalene, Simone Weil, and The Shakers.

We would then integrate this material into our writing practice - both contemplatively and generatively. Toward the end one student recommended watching the movie The Testament of Ann Lee, a sort of dance and song film about the founder of The Shakers and her journey bringing the word to the people.

CW : It can be a hard watch given the time period has a lot of sexual and physical abuse, so know that before watch. It’s a bit jarring at times.   

There were so many moments I wanted to write down to remember and to take notes on, I definitely need to give it another go. I was moved by the phrase Hands to Work, Hearts to God. While any religious phrase can be twisted in its use toward neglect or capitalism, it found me hungry for my own work and artistry, with my spirit pointed straight to god as an offering of the craft.

The choreography in the movie is unbelievable and so good, I found myself doing the movements of the arms slapping the chest and floating to the sky in repetition throughout the week. Movement as prayer.

My work feels bright right now, like I am truly doing what I want to do. The only thing that feels muddled is not everything I want to do for my work is always my job, or the part that makes money. I feel myself on the precipice of rebuilding everything I burnt down. Bringing back a writing group, hosting a book study, teaching a sold out Quilt in a Weekend Class in person.

My book being out in the world feels strange. I feel celebrated by my beloveds, but without social media I can’t really gauge how much it’s getting out there. How many people are buying it, is it reaching the people I hoped it would reach. In some ways I feel ok not knowing this, and in other ways I feel a bit in the dark.

I am doing a Pilates mat training online right now with Spring Movement and really loving it. I have an accountability buddy to work through it together and look forward to the live teaching workshop weekends. It is another mystery to me how Pilates fits into the shape of my business but the calling is strong, even if it is to just deepen my practice.

Amelia Hruby came to visit and we had a beautiful cozy event at The Folded Leaf in Traverse City. Packed with friends, former lovers, fellows, two strangers, my beautiful girlfriend and her mom and her mom’s friends. Small town book readings where you live are a special sort of intimacy.

I organized a group hike the following day and it was so beautiful out, the view of the lake majestic as ever. Ocean Michigan showing off for the visitors and the locals alike.

As I continue to strengthen my inner life it makes me more available to my outer life. Attending mutual aid trainings to support my most vulnerable neighbors, catching up on the news, offering a helping hand, and remembering to call my friends back.

This time feels particularly precarious, and so I turn my attention toward spirit in an effort to center myself. To turn toward all the things that matter to me the most.

May you be held in the wild web we’re living. Hands to work, Hearts to God.

Registration is now open for my eight week study group for The Practice of Attention (my newest book)

In this study group we deep dive into the Attention Audit, Digital Detoxes, The five practices in the book I suggest for restoring attention, and being of service.

There are two and three part payment plans and limited scholarships. I spent the last five years working on this book and developed this series alongside it so that we could do deeper into the material. I can’t wait to spend countless Sundays exploring these themes together.

Sessions are recorded if you have to miss one

→ I was on Moments with Marianne talking about The Practice of Attention and she has the most soothing radio voice of all time.

→ Nicole Cloutier is teaching a copywriting course for your launch emails called The Launch Line. Nicole is who I worked in collaboration with to make the copy for my website and I just adore her as a person, collaborator, and teacher. There are only four spots left and I can’t recommend it enough.

→ A Website is a Room found this while perusing Are.na

→ Building a Generative Culture around conflict with Shivani Mehta Bhatia on Dr. Kate Henry’s podcast Honing In

→ Have you ever listened to radio waves? Newsletter from Adrienne Sloan

→ My dad emailed me this Nanci Griffith protest song from over a decade ago and it helped me in my not alright-ness

→ Whenever I need a little more god in my ears I listen to this Jess Williamson song

→ Tonight at 6pm EST from Oral History Summer School : Forced to Tell, Again and Again: What Asylum Interviews Teach Us About an Ecosystem of Transactional Interviews

→ Podge Thomas is hosting Notion Clean Up Day tomorrow and I can’t wait to make my digital systems a little less chaotic!

Wanna have more fun making more art?? Join the free Shitty Art Challenge to create more art in the coming weeks than you did ALL of last year.

What if you used AI to make weirder stuff? For artists, writers, and musicians who wanna build the insane stuff in their brains with code + AI. www.codeforcreatives.com

Want to know how other solopreneurs are making a living? Subscribe free to Revenue Rulebreaker’s newsletter and get fresh stories each week.

Want to book a classified ad for May ? Read all about it here. I love reading them just as much as I love sharing them.

→ info@codycookparrott.com
→ www.codycookparrott.com
→ Follow Along on Are.na
→ Follow along on YouTube

Consider becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter to read essays like Crying in the Bookstore and My Favorite Mistake. Each month a portion of paid subscriptions are redistributed. This month they are going to the Lebanon Emegerncy Relief Fund.