Why am I passionate about this?

I am a Templar history enthusiast with a penchant for spiritual surprises hiding in plain sight. I believe words are vessels of spirit and that writing opens a channel of communication for manifesting thoughts into reality. Traveling throughout Europe, Scotland, and England has deepened my confidence that there was so much more to the Middle Ages than crusades and feudalism. The Templars facilitated many societal transformations, including a flowering of mysticism under their guardianship. The mystery is… why have we not connected these dots before? And I suspect there’s much more to discover! My books gather research threads from seemingly isolated historic characters, places, and events into cohesive, inspired, and vibrant stories.


I wrote

The Haling and the Scottish Templars

By L.S. Berthelsen,

Book cover of The Haling and the Scottish Templars

What is my book about?

Medieval history comes alive when Templar families join forces with exotic warriors in a trek across Scotland, gathering priceless Häling…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Summer with the Leprechauns

L.S. Berthelsen Why did I love this book?

What a surprise to savor a first-hand account of sharing a cottage in Ireland with a leprechaun. After the initial shock, intrigue set in, and then the joyous laughter to offset the underlying angst of being ridiculed for even thinking such an experience could be possible. 

As I relaxed into Helliwell’s narrative about her summer in Ireland, I felt my heart warm, and then accept the possibilities of new realities. I realized that if I allowed myself to simply enjoy and pay attention in a different way, I could experience everyday magic that exists as close as my own breath.

In a world where the scientific method demands proof, this book might delightfully upend assumptions regarding elemental beings.

By Tanis Helliwell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Summer with the Leprechauns as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An astonishing true story about one woman’s journey to Ireland where she lived in a cottage with leprechauns.

These seldom-seen beings taught her about the evolution of elementals—the race to which leprechauns, faeries, elves, trolls belong. They explained the importance of humans and elementals working together for the betterment of both of their races and the Earth. Far more than a faery tale, this book is a classic that has been published in eight languages.

Now the author has re-edited her book so that the reader can hear the leprechaun’s voice in all his mischievous wisdom. You also learn about…


Book cover of Hilma af Klint

L.S. Berthelsen Why did I love this book?

I love books that validate spiritual creativity and ‘realign’  misconceptions in the annals of history. This inspiring biography documents the life of a 19th-century female artist, who not only dedicated her life to unique spiritual creativity, but also, is currently upending art history. It turns out that her art predates the establishment of the Modern Art Movement, which academia has attributed to men who painted several decades later. Hilma af Klint was a woman before her time. I also love the book’s color plates displaying her mastery of geometry and biology. This book is a well-researched jewel and a gift to art history. 

By Julia Voss, Anne Posten (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hilma af Klint as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A highly anticipated biography of the enigmatic and popular Swedish painter.

The Swedish painter Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) was 44 years old when she broke with the academic tradition in which she had been trained. While her naturalistic landscapes and botanicals were shown during her lifetime, her body of radical, abstract works never received the same attention. Today, it is widely accepted that af Klint produced the earliest abstract paintings by a trained European artist. But this is only part of her story. Not only was she a successful woman artist, but she was also an avowed clairvoyant and mystic.…


Book cover of Scotland's Hidden Sacred Past

L.S. Berthelsen Why did I love this book?

Of all Silva’s books, I am most excited about this one, because of his groundbreaking discoveries. I admire his relentless tenacity for research, while sniffing out enigmatic information. My love of Scottish history often leaves me feeling lost regarding its ancient history. But I also am super careful to take many extrapolations on ancient history with a grain of salt. Silva’s writings are refreshing and his sense of humor is delightful. So, if you want to learn more about your Scottish roots from before Christianity arrived, then take a stroll through ancient circles aligned with the constellation Orion. Home may not be where you think it is!

By Freddy Silva,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Scotland's Hidden Sacred Past as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Around 6000 BC a revolution took place on Orkney and the Western Isles of Scotland. An outstanding collection of stone circles, standing stones, round towers and passage mounds appeared seemingly out of nowhere. And yet many such monuments were not indigenous to Britain, but to regions of the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean.
Their creators were equally mysterious. Traditions tell of the Papae and Peti, 'strangers from afar' who were physically different, dressed in white tunics and lived aside from the regular population. They were regarded as master astronomers with an uncanny ability to work with enormous stones. But where…


Book cover of The Friar of Carcassonne: Revolt against the Inquisition in the Last Days of the Cathars

L.S. Berthelsen Why did I love this book?

This book is a revelation about dynamics between the French monarchy, the Dominicans, Templars, and the beginnings of the French Inquisition in the 14th century. It illuminates the final years of the Templar Order and the torturous distortions used to dominate free-thinking souls.  

I was riveted by how the destructive societal patterns are still echoing into the 21st century, where history has repackaged similar cruelties of authoritarianism. This is not a warm, fuzzy uplifting story, but a wake-up call, lest it happen again under our current watch. This book also speaks to the rationale of artist Hilma af Klint’s directive to keep her art sequestered from Nazi view until recently. 

By Stephen O'Shea,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Friar of Carcassonne as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In 1300, the French region of Languedoc had been cowed under the authority of both Rome and France since Pope Innocent III 's Albigensian Crusade nearly a century earlier. That crusade almost wiped out the Cathars, a group of heretical Christians whose beliefs threatened the authority of the Catholic Church. But decades of harrowing repression-enforced by the ruthless Pope Boniface VIII , the Machiavellian French King Philip the Fair of France, and the pitiless grand inquisitor of Toulouse, Bernard Gui (the villain in The Name of the Rose)-had bred resentment. In the city of Carcassonne, anger at the abuses of…


Book cover of Apollo & Me

L.S. Berthelsen Why did I love this book?

I loved this book from the first page… a purely delicious novel, of a rendezvous beyond the limits of time and the power of human love. The intersection of time/space/lives/dimensions within this narrative gave me hope for humanity. I also found myself reconsidering the concepts of the pantheons of old. Have we too easily dismissed the possibilities of their existence within modern-day life? Regardless, this book is a really fun beach read. :~)

By Cate Montana,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Apollo & Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Pure delight pours out on every page!" - Grady Harp, Top Amazon Reviewer

"I was blown away! This is some of the deepest spiritual information I’ve read AND a great romance!"   - Jeanne Adrienne - Host New Earth Television  

"A deftly crafted and entertainingly original fantasy novel." - Midwest Book Reviews

A tale of deathless love, magic and sexual healing, Apollo Me explodes the myths around older women and sex, the relationship between the gods and man, man and woman, and the very nature of the world itself. American author Kathryn Adams is taking a much-needed break on a Greek…


Explore my book 😀

The Haling and the Scottish Templars

By L.S. Berthelsen,

Book cover of The Haling and the Scottish Templars

What is my book about?

Medieval history comes alive when Templar families join forces with exotic warriors in a trek across Scotland, gathering priceless Häling treasures of Divine Wisdom into protective custody.

Book 1 of the Temple Chronicles sets the stage for a 13th-century odyssey inspired by lesser-known historic places, persons, and events. Set amidst ravaging upheaval created by authoritarian conflicts, this story revolves around themes that are resurfacing in current events. The story also incorporates lost Celtic lore of the medieval mindset, including celestial creatures that have faded into the mists of time. For all those serious lovers of Scotland’s distant past, the Temple Chronicles is worthy of sinking yer teeth into!

Book cover of Summer with the Leprechauns
Book cover of Hilma af Klint
Book cover of Scotland's Hidden Sacred Past

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Brother. Do. You. Love. Me.

By Manni Coe, Reuben Coe (illustrator),

Book cover of Brother. Do. You. Love. Me.

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Manni's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Brother. Do. You. Love. Me. is a true story of brotherly love overcoming all. Reuben, who has Down's syndrome, was trapped in a care home during the pandemic, spiralling deeper into a non-verbal depression. From isolation and in desperation, he sent his older brother Manni a text, "brother. do. you. love. me."

This cry for help, this SOS in the sand unleashed a brotherly love that had Manni travelling back to the UK mid-pandemic to rescue his brother from the care home, and together they sheltered from the world in a cottage in deepest, darkest Dorset. There began a journey…

Brother. Do. You. Love. Me.

By Manni Coe, Reuben Coe (illustrator),

What is this book about?


The story of two brothers, one with Down syndrome, and their extraordinary journey of resilience and repair.

"Profoundly moving and hugely uplifting."—Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Reuben, aged 38, was living in a home for adults with learning disabilities. He hadn’t established an independent life in the care system and was still struggling to accept that he had Down syndrome. Depressed and in a fog of antidepressants, he hadn’t spoken for over a year. The only way he expressed himself was by writing poems or drawing felt-tip scenes from his favorite musicals…


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Interested in Orkney Scotland, Scotland, and folklore?

Orkney Scotland 16 books
Scotland 345 books
Folklore 381 books