The Rt Hon the Countess of Shannon: "One of the greatest mystics of our age". Via husband the Earl of Shannon she is indirectly linked to former TV personality Katie Boyle, apparently
I am intrigued that the Duke of Edinburgh once conferred a honorary doctorate for literature (or "writings") on a woman who describes herself as "a Toltec three-pronged Nagual" - or put simply, "one of the greatest mystics of our time" or even "one of the most profound spiritual teachers of our age."
That at least is the claim of the woman in question - someone called the Rt Hon the Countess of Shannon aka Almine Barton. Her disciples know her simply as Almine. Quite what the Countess has written to warrant the Duke's interest when literary talents such as Martin Amis, Jeanette Winterson and Duncan Fallowell are left withering on the royal vine, I have no idea.
Almine would appear to be a US citizen, born in South Africa, who gave up the British aristocratic life for her higher calling a few years back. Richard Bentinck Boyle, 9th Earl of Shannon, certainly took a third wife in 1994 called Almine, or Alamine de Villiers (daughter of Rocco Cotorsia de Villiers of Cape Town), depending on your source. The Earl's first wife was the TV personality Katie Boyle, former polyglot hostess of Eurovision. The precise state of Almine's union is unknown, but she doesn't name her husband in her literature. And in an interview on her site she describes herself as a "single mom".
Photos on her website reveal an elegant blonde at the very heart of the British government and royal life. I am beside myself that I have never heard of her. Not even in Tatler. The magazine must try to keep up.
The 9th Earl of Shannon (business woes)
As a global mystic, the Countess is up there with another goddess - the domestic one, Nigella Lawson. Almine has co-authored two cookery books, Cooking With Class and Memories and Meals. Curiously, at least one of the titles is presented with a commendation from the chairman of the vanity publisher Serendipity, Tony Clarkson.
A Google delve into the life of this extraordinary woman leaves one gagging for a lot more: it is Gatsby-esque in its glamorous murkiness, to say the least. Incomprehensible even.
"Death is optional" - a thought that may reassure the Duke ... (Click film once to play).
Her music (then click "Play all") is more to my taste - let's dance.
Another Almine site at Spiritual Journeys
58 comments:
I swear you invent these people. Likewise Mastini. She is a figment of your imagination.
The Duke of Edinburgh himself would not confer a doctorate, honorary or otherwise. He might present one on behalf of a university, in which case I am surprised this woman does not name it.
Would this be the wife of Dickie Boyle who used to live in the Wandsworth Bridge Road? But why would she be a Rt Hon too?
No, this is an interesting case. We thought Richard Shannon was dead - he used to be married to Katie Boyle who ran the Eurovision Song Contest. Obviously he adores show business.
Supposedly, tho' I thought he lived in Reading at some point if not now. Do you know more about him and Almine? I guess they are separated and divorced. I am assuming that the two Almines are one, of course.
Richard Bentinck Boyle is still alive I think
I believe she's from Cape Town originally
Yes, all in the posting.
Sorry - blind as a bat these days
Do give my love to Tim. He was a horny sod once upon a time. Straight of course.
This is just the best blog in the world. I am over 80 and I've started to get hard again.
She's known as Alimony Shannon
Almine is one of my favourite people. You mustn't be beastly to her. She's not as strong as she looks.
I'm not being beastly, just making her famous. Her mystical talk makes absolutely no sense, it's crap actually - and I say that as a performance seer myself - and I don't think she should solicit donations. Also, on her website she should state simply and chronologically the basic facts of her life and not make a mystery of herself. Her true talent is musical: the album I'm listening to is good and vital.
Now, Lavinia, what else do you know? I'll torture Val if you don't cough up.
Valentine is in a terrible state - he backed Blair for EU President and is now out in the cold with the rest of that gang. I told him - Darling, Tony wants Turkey in, you CAN'T back that, nobody else wants Turkey in - but between ourselves I think Val's on drugs.
How clever you are to discover a true original! Not easy these days.
Oh and Katie Boyle is so unbelievably marvellous, you know, still alive, chattering away in the corner, un point deux points, still heavenly her skin is too, and do interview her, please do, she'd adore it so, go on, PLEASE, I long for it more than anything (except bed with the new gardener - you can't imagine how handsome he is - but he only has eyes for the dog! and I do refuse to get on all fours, even for Reggie I wouldn't do that, they taught us at charm school that all fours was the beginning of the end, though I hear that Raine Spencer or whatever she calls herself now is the exception that proves the rule)
All Mine is just another poseur who has succumbed to the New Age/Old Hat claptrap that clogs the arteries of spiritual knowledge.
She was a mighty fine belly dance though and that's to her credit.
Darling, how could Val back Blair when he lied to us all over Iraq? Lots of force-fed syrup of Val followed by buggery as performed by Our, er, Boys.
Lavinia - I haven't seen you this excited in quite a while. Never get on all fours, you must never give away power, unless suspended from the ceiling. That then suggests artifice.
As for Katie Boyle, or Caterina Irene Elena Maria Imperiali Di Francavilla, as I call her, she is a Gemini so is basically perfect. I shall certainly see if she would like to be interviewed. Perhaps I could invite Jonathan King to send me a question for her about Eurovision.
Wouldn't that be delightful?
Definitely a movie in all this malarkey. We could get some great CG effects of the Countess' spirit world swirling about her as she rides the old Earl and she dreams of bestriding the world with her title. Casting suggestions welcome - but I'm bagging Leslie Phillips as the 9th Earl.
No wonder she snared an old count. This is Almine on sex and old cockers ...
"The ancient Chinese traditions of the White Tigress women enabled practitioners to remain youthful into their nineties and beyond through the energy these practices provided. Like vampires of energy, there was personal gain to them with little exchange. Tantric practices provide more of an exchange, yet are nevertheless more enhancing to males."
Who's Lavinia?
Meryl Streep defintely as the older Almine. Only she could get the accent right.
I found this on the Ripoff site from someone who attended Almine's healing workshop -
"My idea of a master is an experience of peace, harmony, wisdom and humor and something that contributes to my growth. Almine acts like a drama-queen, a very disturbed individual, and as for the immortal part, I have never seen someone so grotesquely botoxed up! She can't make any "faces". Peroxided long blonde hair, and a great bod (she was a practicing aerobics instuctor for years). Look up her old picture of Almine Barton--looking very different."
http://www.ripoffreport.com/Cult-organizations/Almine-Www-spiritual/almine-www-spiritualjourneys-3fcz8.htm
Almine says in that vid you posted, "I said ... death has been done away with - but people continue to die." And people part with cash for this drivel?
What's with all the bitching? At least Almine's trying to break the mould and I'm surprised at you Madame for ridiculing a fellow-traveller.
And I'm going to buy one of her cook books. Her Quail, roasted with White Grapes sounds divine.
break the mould Anon ?. I fear not. Almine is depressing like so many other new age travelers -all hocus pocus and very little spiritualism.
Let the Quail live.
I must read the comments more often. Nearly as entertaining as the original post -- which nothing could equal, of course.
Not particularly relevant, but Katie Boyle was married to the late Peter Saunders, producer of The Mousetrap. Or has someone said that already?
Dear Michael, you are the debutant with that news about The Mousetrap. I think this tale has legs, little furry ones that scurry. In one of the videos the Countess looks very much like the Contessa Boyle: I wonder if Almine remodelled herself from Katie's portraits in Dickie's home, while sighing. More for the movie! x
And Sir Arthur, lovely to hear from you - I guess the recent book annoyed you. The trouble is the New Age is a money-churner and an opportunist like Almine has read the arcane books, misunderstood them because she's thinking ker-ching, and then farts out the poisonous gasses that knock everybody out. Was Sherlock gay?
Most excellent.
Mousetrap? Beavertrap!
There was no such thing as 'gay' in my day Madame. Sherlock was a man's man.
Dr Watson was a bit of an old fairy though.
At the risk of breaking Lavinia's heart I will have to agree with you on this, MA darling. For what I can find on the web, I can only make out that this character is an updated incarnation of Lobsang Rampa: a lonely attention starved person who has read enough about mysticism only to be dangerous and prey on those who are ignoramus of the subject but curious and willing to find answers to the possible immortality of our spirit. She's beautiful and has talents she could exploit to pursue her self-realization, but I guess that is not enough to get her what she wants from life - Oh, well. I think it is very possible she has had some of the experiences she talks about; she just doesn't fully understand them and has filled in the blanks with what best suits her ego. Be her friend, enjoy her company and conversation, but please don't take her words at their face value.
I remember when Katie Boyle flaunted her breast reduction op. Which was post-earl. Does the present countess have a stupendous bosom?
The photo at the top of this post suggests a decolletage not without a certain definition: but nothing as vulgar as Katie Price's. The Countess is a peach.
I've written to Dogs Today where I believe Katie Boyle is an agony aunt.
Oh how clever you are! Katie Boyle must be marvellous with dogs. I must tell the gardener when he comes tomorrow and watch his eyes light up.
Katie Boyle had a long-running affair with the editor of the TVTimes when she did the agony column in it, or so I'm told.
And isn't The Archers' Timothy Bentinck related to the family somehow?
What, Richard Barber? That I doubt. And I don't think Bridget Rowe would have been Katie's cuppa. Far too common.
Tim I think is the 12th Earl of Portland - he's an Arcati fan, the poppet - and as a Bentinck you would think there's some family link to Shannon. But a genealogist would have to write in. All those family lines make me dizzy.
Still, if there is a link the headline is even more sexy:
"3rd wife of Katie Boyle's earl ex - himself related to Archers star - is now a global mystic guru!"
Long-winded but it's interesting.
Ask Wyndham Richardson - Duncan Fallowell's godson - he made a short film with Tim Bentinck. I think you interviewed him some time back.
I'll send a message to Tim. Dogs Today has not got back to me yet. Mingers.
Dear Lavinia, did your gardener's eyes light up?
Don't talk to me about the gardener. I'm in a terrific sulk on his account after what happened today.
Oh Lavinia, how distressing. I guess the all-fours thing didn't quite work out, not in this weather.
Dogs Today got back to me with sad news: Katie Boyle no longer works for the publication. I won't try the agent because agents only worry about money and being over-protective, so I'll try another avenue.
Oh and Tim Bentinck wrote to me ...
Hiya,
No, no relation. He's actually Richard Bentinck Boyle. I had a look in
Debretts and the family have used 'Bentinck' in their names a couple of
times, but it's not their surname.
Interesting bloke though. She's seriously weird!
xxT
Yeah, yeah, very well but, what about the gardener? What did he do, over-prune? The suspense is killing me.
Is Almine related to Rocco de Villiers, the well known Johannesburg Muscle Mary and St. Sebastian look-alike?
Thank you darling, a most interesting question. I have written to Rocco and asked him. Thank God for the internet. No need to get out of bed.
Almine actually WAS a belly dancer in the 80s, and she even had a float in the Newport parade that had pink shear curtains, and everything. All of us children (at the time) thought it was the best float, and we looked forward to it every year. And I used to go inside of her house. That was Newport, Oregon.
Dear Jem, thank you for your reminiscence. If you have other memories of Almine, do get in touch - madamearcati69@aol.com
xx
Madam, I knew almine back in the 80's and 90's. I went to her house once to have a meditation done. It was interesting, and I was blown away by the contents of the house. It was like I entered another world. Not knowing much about atlantis or what ever she was talking about, I feel the meditation was waited. Tell ya what though, her kids are awsome
Thank you Sue. I'd be fascinated to learn of any other observations you may have of the divine Almine - madamearcati69@aol.com.
I have read and I have laughed and I have cried over these comments.
I have met that woman, have "studied" in her classes a personal mission to unearth these New Age fake stuffs for what it is.. money-churner. Yet I found her most genuine, more powerful than all the ones out there. I've found that these things are a business like you said these New Age are. Yet you cannot say it is bad thing or any different as the business of selling soda cans or tax or loans collection?.. check out another Richard J. Boyle of ECMC. There is a relationship there between her and the Boyles?
Oh I digress. Back to Almine... Her work helps many people come to grips with their fucked up life, by seeing her own similar life and how she came out of it.. just as my work helps my life better and feed my County of millions people.. your work, whatever you do, get paid; why those ones who judged Almine for what she chose to do instead of some other things more approved of? May it be that you are jealous of how she reinvented herself and created a profitable business yes, ka-ching!!! Evil bitch? witch? or smart business woman?
Ask yourself.. what is that one thing helps gives you the life you got?
MONEY... has become the God of this world. it drives you toward something else... and what is that?
Yes. THAT.
:)
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