Threading the Needle

I know the ‘call’ when I hear it
and I trust in its wisdom

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Paradigmscapes

Let’s talk ‘Scapes.’ Landscapes ~ Seascapes ~ All kinds of scapes Paradigmscapes The definition of ‘scape‘ is basically a scenery view… a vista. ‘Scape‘ comes from Greek, the root of ‘Skapos,’ meaning a measuring ‘rod‘ or ‘scepter,’ while the 13th century word ‘escape‘ means to free oneself from confinement. The modern use moves beyond ‘Landscape’…

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“Voyage of the Templar Guardians” Cast of Characters

Here are links to: “Häling and the Scottish Templars” & “Voyage of the Templar Guardians“ For those who have interest in reading more, here we go! Book Two Cast of Characters Character designated (H) as historical figures were contemporary of the Häling narrative.   But all Häling characters and their personalities were purely fictional. The…

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Trusting the Process

“Where the Rubber Meets the Road” is an adage that describes the test of putting a concept, plan or theory into action. I am sure that I am not alone in dealing with doubts, when it comes to implementing abstract notions about making the world a better place. And I admit that the distance between…

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Be Still and Know

Every Teacher Has a TeachingBy Lex Gillan, Yogi & Peter Gillan, PhD I don’t usually find myself doing book reviews very often. But every once in a while, a book comes along that resonates in a different light; one that is worth savoring, pondering, and sharing. I love being a deep reader and am not…

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Comfort & Joy

Somehow, time passes, leaving only fleeting particles of what we call memories to settle into our bones throughout the year. Yet, the days of the Solstice feel different. The three days (in the northern hemisphere) from Dec. 21st-24th holds a very special place in my heart. To me, this window of time is more than…

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Terrain of the Heart

Spiritual traditions claim the sacred heart as a key to the heavenly realms. But in everyday life, that can feel like a distant ideal of the imagination…

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Below the Surface

With so much going on in every corner of our world ~where the opposite feeling of Groundhog Day presses massive doses of rapid change into highly pressurized compartments of single earth rotations ~ how does one navigate muddy waters of life’s rapids? When a constantly overstimulated survival mind sets the course; when the sprint becomes…

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One Feeling is Worth 1,000 Thoughts

People have often asked me about my writing process and how do I go about writing my stories. My creativity arises from feelings. At first, I play with thoughts and ideas with no worries for practical… for the pure joy and exploration of it. And I do this because it unlocks doorways within my imagination…

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Beyond Gratitude

Oh what fun it is to celebrate the birthing of a project into the wider world! And like the birth of a child, the release of a new book brings a constellation of double sided coins. The novice writer dreams of publishing a great work, filled with hope of changing the world through their written…

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Voyage of the Templar Guardians Debut

Please join me on January 22, 2020 at Houston’s beloved Brazos Bookstore 6:30 pm for an exploration of Voyage of the Templar Guardians. I hope to do some selected readings, and share some of my tips and tricks about writing visionary fiction in a world filled with true crime novels. The Häling and the Scottish…

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Arizona’s Far Northern Navajo Country

Amidst Northern Arizona’s expanses of high deserts and unique geological formations dwells the presence beyond time and appearance. Of course I adore Sedona and her awe inspiring red rocks; and I pay my respects to the National forests and parks. However, it is in stepping off the grid into Arizona’s northern realms that brings me…

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Juneau Glaciers from the Air

Juneau, the capitol of Alaska, is accessible by sea plane or boat, located at the head of Glacier Bay… With this being the last ship to sail into Juneau for the season, shops were taking inventory to close up for winter storms coming soon. So it was  relatively quiet. We took the plunge and booked…

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Hubbard Glacier

The RSSC Mariner ship sailed through the night, heading south from Seward on its final Alaskan 2019 voyage of the summer. The morning brought rain which did not bode well for out scheduled visit to the  Hubbard Glacier.  The wind pierced through my coat as I walked across the ship deck to lunch as the…

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Authentic Connections

When does a sunset take it’s place in the larger scheme of life? After all, it is but a series of fleeting moments cast upon the giant screen of none other than the horizon’s final hurrah of the day. The sun sets at the time of day when most of us are dog tired and…

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Voyage of the Templar Guardians Is Here!

It’s FINALLY HERE!!! Voyage of the Templar Guardians: Book Two of the Templar Chronicles is now available on Amazon. Voyage of the Templar Guardians takes The Temple Chronicles  beyond Scottish shores into unfamiliar places lost to time in a continuation of the Haling and the Scottish Templars. Young Templar squire Adam and his sister, Hannah, must escape war-torn …

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The Temple Chronicles Continue

What would you do if you were faced with immediate evacuation of your loved ones to safety in the face of approaching harm? Be it wildfire, flood, aggression, or natural disaster? Those who live life, unaware or in fear, are either bound to the fates or rob themselves of many joys of living in the…

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Growing Up Human

Coming of age means different things to different folks. The word ‘maturation’ carries myriads of meanings also. All living creatures progress through various stages of growth; and some even literally metamorphose physically from one creature into another, with remarkable transformation in appearance. Baby mammals grow at astounding rates to reach reproductive maturity, while life cycles…

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Replacing One’s Window to the Soul

If you have ever had windows replaced in your abode, you know how may ways it can go wrong –awry — sideways, (everything from mis-calculations and broken seals to gaps and warps). Not only must the measurements for the window precisely match the dimensions of the exterior wall, but there’s very little room for error…

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Sedona’s In-Between Place

On this summer solstice, I am bathing in the stillness of in-between. After months of edits and polishing, my soon-to-be-released book, Voyage of the Templar Guardians, has been passed to the design team at Lulu Publishing, for an interval of rest on my part. I am also coming off of a series of several family…

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Temple Chronicles Glossary: A Guide to Curious Terms

Temple Chronicles Glossary: A Guide to Curious Terms Getting the lay of the land in a foreign country can be confusing. Vernacular is as fluid as the Atlantic ocean dividing North America and Scotland. So this blog post offers a few explanation of words sprinkled through the Temple Chronicles and their context in the story…

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The Häling Templar Web

The region where the southern reaches of medieval Scotland bordered England’s Northumbria was generally defined by the River Tweed. Not only was it a primary water source, but its flow carried commerce of all sorts and fed the population with some of the world’s finest salmon. Life depended upon its eastward flow, emptying into the North…

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The Häling and the Scottish Templars: Dunbar

In the spring of 1296, King Edward of England invaded Scotland. One by one, castles and abbeys fell into English hands, threatening Scottish sovereignty. On a brooding sea-cliff battlefield above Dunbar, Scots of all kith and kin fought valiantly but could not withstand the English onslaught. Acrid smoke and coastal fog shrouded the bluff from…

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Prologue Signs & Symbols

Signs and symbols abound in The Häling and the Scottish Templars and most of them are introduced early in the story. The prologue begins the saga with unconventional spiritual language. These recurrent mystic motifs impart their greetings in the first scene and hopefully will become companions as the challenges and adventures unfold. Once could even say that…

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Häling Characters Book 1

Of all the challenges of beginning a series, getting to know the cast of characters can be the most daunting. The Häling and the Scottish Templars story is complicated by the diversity of new characters and their unfamiliar historical occupations. Add  to the mix, visionary elements and a menagerie of creatures, a glossary such as the one below can come in handy. Use…

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History Behind the Häling

L.S.Berthelsen’s Scotland; THEN & NOW For many, Scotland is not just a place to visit, filled with magical tourist spots. It is a feeling, a mindset, and indeed, a state of mind. And while I am no expert on Scotland or a anything Scottish, I am certain of my own experiences and how they influenced…

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Visionary Fiction Alliance

It is with great pleasure that I recommend a website that just came into my awareness. The Visionary Fiction Alliance! For many years, I devoured books and movies that dealt with transformation of consciousness, sifting through a lot of chaff to reach the kernel that resonated inside me that rarely saw the light of day.…

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Hidden Sedona

Mindfulness and grounding are particularly helpful while exploring New Age shops and vortexes, even if time runs short. Whether driving Sedona’s eleven ’roundabouts’  or watching where you step while looking across panoramic views, it’s easy to get disoriented.

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Making Sense of the Middle Ages

Making Sense of the Middle Ages 500 – 1500 A.D. What comes to mind when you think of Middle Ages? Castles? Crusades? Knights & tournaments? Well, here is attempt at making sense of the complexities and constellations of  dynamics at play from the fall of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Age of…

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Soutra Aisle

Excerpt from The Häling and the Scottish Templars where young Templar Squire Adam de Dalrymple finds relief from the long ride from Dunbar.   On this Beltane Eve, bonfires lit hilltops to purify and cleanse all lingering weakness from winter’s hardships. Blazes twinkled across the Forth of Firth and beyond, dotting the landscapes along the northern…

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My Templar Way

‘My Templar Way’  By Linda Berthelsen, RTO, KTFA, GPTFA First published in Templar History Magazine, 2008 ~ Adapted 2018“ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21 Long before Dan Brown opened Pandora’s box of Rosslyn Chapel mania, I was a devotee of its mysteries and symbols. My heart knew…

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An Austrian Afternoon

During my research on Alexandria, Egypt and Austria not long ago for my upcoming third book of the Temple Chronicle series, I ran across notes from an amazing experience of serendipity back in 2005. As I combed through my journal notes that I had originally jotted down in haste while traveling, memories of my visit…

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