A "MUST READ" BOOK
"Coming into this lifetime, we agree to play the old abusive relationship behaviors over and once again try to end the negative karma and even transcend it. This is what I call our Karmic Dance." ~ Holly E. Messick
ABOUT
Holly grew up in Columbus, Ohio where her childhood love of reading led her to eventually becoming a librarian. But it was a children’s literature class in college that made her realize that she really wanted to be an author.
After graduation, she got a job as a school librarian, but didn’t start writing until after her son was born. Over the years that followed, raising children, her husband’s military career, and all the things that go with being a young wife and mother took precedence over her dream of being an author.
She never gave up on her dream, and over the years she would spend time writing, reading about being an author, getting involved in writer’s organizations, and attending writing conferences.
Holly eventually returned to college to get her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science. Afterwards, she began working in children’s library work, first in public libraries, then in school libraries.
When her first marriage ended in divorce, she married her high school sweetheart. As the marriage progressed, her spiritual growth and learning led her to realization that they were in a karmic relationship. Through past life regression work, she learned that they had past lifetimes where they had played out the same roles in a recurring cycle of abuse.
Finally, realizing that she needed to end her role of victim, she left the marriage thus ending the lifetimes of negative karma. After a fifteen month separation, she and her husband, Terry, reunited and worked together to create a more balanced, loving relationship.
Holly’s first book, Karmic Dance—A Spiritual Journey through Verbal Abuse is the story of her second marriage and how she and her husband were finally able to end the abuse and heal their relationship.
She is a retired librarian, former business owner, artist, seeker of spiritual wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, as well as an author. Her family, including her two cats, bring much love and entertainment into her life. She believes everything she has experienced in her life has brought a richness of lessons, purpose, and depth to her life and who she is.
She currently resides in Arizona and is busy writing her next book.
“Did you ever wonder what your life would be like if you had done things differently? Second-guessing your decisions, your plans, your lives. I know — I’ve done it. We all do. But when we reach a higher perspective in life, we begin to see how the decisions we’ve made were often guided by a higher power. We’re not puppets on a string, but we each have a higher self who guides us along our path through life. It’s only when something ends that we may have that “Aha!” moment and realize what has really been going on all along. I’ve looked at my life in just that way. In the midst of the chaos, the messiness, and even the peaceful times I couldn’t see the higher plan.”
Karmic Dance — A Spiritual Journey through Verbal Abuse is a memoir about the author’s second marriage which she eventually realized was a karmic relationship. Holly and Terry met in high school and dated for four years. During the first three years they dated each other exclusively, but as Holly’s view of the world expanded, her mother’s words that she should date other boys finally made sense. Even after they began to date other people, they continued to date each other. Then Holly met the young man who would become her first husband.
Both Holly and Terry married other people, had children, and built happy, successful lives for themselves. But at the end of twenty years, both of them were on the edge of divorce. When Holly returned home to Columbus, Ohio for her 20th high school reunion, they reconnected. Five months later, Holly moved back to Ohio and they began their life together.
Without their awareness, they began to play out the karmic relationship that they came into this lifetime to experience. Terry had learned to be a controller who used verbally abusive behaviors. Holly had learned to be a victim and a people pleaser.
Several years into their marriage, Holly had a spiritual “Aha” moment. As she learned and grew spiritually, she began to explore past life regressions. It was during these experiences that she saw several past lifetimes where she and Terry had played out the same type of relationship. It was then that she realized that they were in a karmic relationship.
Karmic Dance shows how their abusive relationship escalated into a crisis which resulted in ending the negative karma. What follows is how they were able to put their marriage back together and create a relationship that enabled them to transcend the negative karma.
"This book has great advice whether you are the person who finds yourself not knowing what to do or how to respond to someone who spurts words of painful fiery arrows. While we can't control what others do or say, we can better grasp how to respond with peace, forgiveness, and grace. I found this book refreshing and uplifting." ~ A. Rogers
Amazing! Filled with integrity, honesty and personal grit, Holly Messick weaves the story of her karmic dance while educating and enlightening with non judgement and respect for all the players. She sets the stage for understanding and accepting how compelling it is for each individual as they play the cards they are dealt. Sharing fully the positive and negative thoughts, patterns and actions that created the karmic chain while it continued to bind them to each other until one or both gained the understanding needed to break the patterns.
Ahhh, the poem Karma Owed, Karma Paid…..wonderful touch, an invitation to read further – spinning the mystery so that I was eager to keep turning the pages to see how the next chapter evolves. Loved the unfolding story of high school innocence and first love that leads to the ‘tie that binds’ or said another way – casts the karmic spell. Two souls entering innocently into the beginning of a drama that’s taken centuries to unfold – leaping into the unknown, playing the cards as each hand is dealt. Excellent story evolution – understanding how first relationship set the stage for the second relationship that held the keys for karmic resolution. Absolutely awesome!
All through the book, Holly invites the reader to see her world through her eyes, the good, the bad and the ugly. Claiming it only as ‘what is’. Increasing her knowledge and understanding so she can work toward shifting her patterns while being called on to make daily personal decisions because she’s still engaged in the karmic dance.
I, genuinely, enjoyed the combination of psychology presented with her spiritual understanding of the 'bigger picture' so we could see how the puzzle pieces fit together - how all the elements combine to make ‘karma’ exactly what it is. Even better, how each player either does or doesn’t take part in that particular dance scene. Inspiring!
Definitely, a must read! And for certain, a book that you can tell your friends that they’ll want a copy – everyone can use this level of karmic relationship enlightenment. Especially since Holly has so aptly and willingly shared her story which provides a perspective of the karma dance evolving toward resolution. Resolution – isn’t that what everyone wants? This story warms my heart because resolving the karmic dance, as Holly has done, takes perseverance, patience, awareness and lots of self talk and self truths!
~ Patricia S.
