Rob's Books, Medium Readings, Animal Rescue Fundraisers

BOOKS: Pets and the Afterlife, Pets and the Afterlife 2, Pets and the Afterlife 3, Pets and the Afterlife 4, Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead, Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation, Ghosts of the Bird Cage Theatre on a Medium's Vacation, Kindred Spirits: How a Medium Befriended a Spirit, Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking and Ghosts and Spirits Explained BEST SELLERS: All of Rob's books have reached "best-seller" status on AMAZON.com in various paranormal categories. PET SPIRIT READINGS: Now offered via email and done on weekends. Reserve a spot thru Paypal. Email me at Rgutro@gmail.com Send 1 Photo of your pet, their name, and any questions.ANIMAL RESCUE FUNDRAISING LECTURES : Rob is a dog dad, volunteers with Dachshund and Weimaraner rescues and does fundraising lectures for dog and cat rescues.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

A Ghost in an Annapolis Building


 
Audubon Store in Annapolis
   Since I was a kid I've been able to sense Earth bound ghosts or spirits who have crossed over - and I always get a light headache in the back side of my head whenever they're around. Entities are energy and they give me an "energy overload," thus, the headache.  Anyway, while a friend was visiting, my husband and I walked around Annapolis, Md. and I ran into some residents who still live there after one or two hundred years....
  For those reading this from outside of Maryland, Annapolis (on the Severn River, connected to Chesapeake Bay) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County.  The city was actually used the temporary capital of the United States in 1783−1784! The city was founded in 1649, so there were bound to be some Earth-bound ghosts... and there were.
  While walking around the quaint downtown area, we turned onto Maryland Avenue. It was there that I encountered on man who continues to linger there 80 years after he died.

THE MAN FROM THE 1930s - 
the ghost appeared similar to the man in the middle
   One store we went into was the building that houses a store for the Audubon Society.   As soon as I walked up to the front of the building I got my ghost-indicating headache. The store was on the first floor of this multi-story building, on the left side of the entrance.
  The building appeared to be an old apartment building with shops on the first floor and a doorway between the shops that go into a narrow hallway/lobby with an elevator.
  It was in that hallway/lobby I sensed a larger man, dressed in a 1930s suit with a hat. He passed from a stroke, but this was his building. He owned it. He wanted it and still wants it. My hubby also sensed a presence there as well.
   The ghost was stubborn, and didn't seem to care that he was separated from his other loved ones who died decades ago. Obviously he was materialistic in life and maintained that personality (as we do) in death. Sadly, he was so materialistic that his family doesn't matter as much as owning that building. So, we let him be and walked on. There are some Earth-bound ghosts that simply can't be convinced they need to move on, and if he hasn't learned that in 80 years of lingering in that apartment lobby, he'd likely be hard to convince.



Saturday, September 28, 2013

Meet me and I.R.Harris,Author at Baltimore Book Festival Sun.Sept 29

Rob Gutro's first book!
Meet me and famous Adult Fantasy author I.R. Harris, side-by-side tomorrow (Sun. Sept. 29 from 12pm to 7pm) at the Big Baltimore Book Festival!  
http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/

Tomorrow,  Sunday, Sept. 29th- Come by and say hello to me and my good friend and Adult Fantasy Author I.R. Harris at the Baltimore Book Festival under the Local Author's Tent!
I.R. Harris and hubby
   The Baltimore Book Festival is in the Mt. Vernon area of Baltimore on Charles Street, about 5-7 blocks north of the Inner Harbor.  The book festival takes up about 5 city blocks and has hundreds of authors, speakers and book dealers. 
Rob Gutro signing books
  We'll both be there from 12pm to 7pm doing a meet and Greet/Book Signing
 I.R. Harris is the Author of the Bound Trilogy and the new Legion series- CHECK THEM OUT HERE: www.irharrisbooks.com/‎)
  My books are: "Ghosts and Spirits: Insights from a Medium" and "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead." 
Rob Gutro's 2nd book

 - I'm writing a book about pets in the afterlife, so if you've lost a dog, cat or horse, come by and share any messages you may have received from them.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

What Happens When We Die? Energy!!!

I've learned a lot about what happens when our physical bodies die, since I've been able to communicate with those who have passed.
  I'm also a scientist - a meteorologist, who believes that science helps explain what happens when we die and it all centers on energy. 
   As I mention in my books, "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead," and "Ghosts and Spirits: Insights from a Medium," we have energy coursing through our bodies.
   Think about it. Our thoughts are little electrical impulses.
WHERE DO THE ELECTRICAL IMPULSES COME FROM?  - According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the human brain contains about 100 billion neurons or nerve cells. Those cells have trillions of synapses or connections, and each connection transmits about one signal per second. Some connections (special ones) can send as many as 1,000 signals per second!
  MEASURING THE ENERGY IN OUR BRAINS - Doctors measure the electrical activity in our brains through the technique of Electroencephalography, also known as an EEG. An EEG records electrical activity along the scalp and measures the fluctuation of voltage fluctuations. The changes involtage happens within the neurons of the brain - basically, what happens when we think.  EEGs usually measure 20 to 40 minutes of the brain's spontaneous electrical activity.
    BIG DEAL. SO THERE'S ELECTRICITY IN THE BODY.  Yes, it is a big deal. There's also energy in the body as a result of blood pumping through the body, cells rebuilding and dying off, and the body in a constant state of activity. So, what happens to all of that energy after our physical body dies, and why does it have to go somewhere?
   THE LAW OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY -In physics, the law of conservation of energy says that the total energy of an isolated system cannot change, it can only be changed from one form into another or transferred from one object to another.
   Although some other scientists (especially those who are not also mediums like me) discount this applying to ghosts, spirits or energy in the human body, I've come to understand that it DOES apply to the energy in the human (or animal) body. The Law also says that energy is conserved over time. Energy can change form; for instance, chemical energy can be converted to kinetic energy.
   HOW DOES THAT LAW APPLY TO PEOPLE? Consider the energy running through our bodies that I explained above. That energy has to go somewhere when our physical bodies die. It can't just "cease to exist." I've come to understand that that energy combines with our personality/consciousness/soul and makes a conscious choice to stay Earth-bound as a ghost (for various reasons) or crosses "into the light" into Heaven/joining the energy of the universe/Valhalla, etc. (call it what you will).

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Busy Month of October Events!

October is always a busy month to talk about ghosts and spirits, and this year it's going to be very busy for me. The month starts a couple of days early with my appearance at the Big Baltimore Book Festival!   Hope you can come out and meet me! 

Sunday, Sept. 29th- at the Baltimore Book Festival
under the Local Author's Tent!
Meet and Greet/Book Signing
I'll be next to famous Fantasy writer; I.R. Harris (Author of the Bound Trilogy -www.irharrisbooks.com/‎)
http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/

Wed. October 2 at 7 p.m. - Speaking/Signing
Butcher's Hill Association Meeting
St. Andrew's Church (Corner of So. Chester and East Lombard). Baltimore, Md.
More information: http://butchershill.org/
Contact: Heather Gorius; President, BHA

Sat. October 5, 2013 10 a.m. - Live Radio Interview
With Ghosthunting Bill Hartley
LIVE STREAM at www.kzztv.com
Broadcast at 970 WAMD-AM Radio, Aberdeen, Md. and
1460 WKHZ-AM, Easton, Md. and 810 WYRE-AM, Annapolis, Md.
https://www.facebook.com/Gmps.Bill.Hartley


Mon. October 7, 2013 at 7:30 pm - Speaking/Signing
West Shore Book Club

Edgewater/Mayo, Md(Private book club)
http://westshorebookclub.blogspot.com


Saturday, October 19 Appearance and Talk
Celebrate the Book Festival in Carlisle, Pennsylvania

St. Patrick’s Parish Activity Center
85 Marsh Drive, Carlisle PA 17013
(Cumberland County Pennsylvania.) Easily accessible from Interstate 81.

Thursday, October 24 at 7 p.m.- Halloween Open Mic with Ghostorian Mike Ricksecker!(15 mins.) /Book Signing FREE EVENT Open to Public) Calvert Library, 850 Costley Way, Prince Frederick, MD More information: Robyn Truslow, rtruslow@somd.lib.md.us; Tel. 410-535-0291

Wednesday, October 30 at 6:30 p.m. - Introduction to Ghostly Science and Ghost Hunter Equipment (with Margaret Erlich) -
and a GHOST HUNT with the PRISMD Ghost Group
Baltimore Museum of Industry, Baltimore, Md.

Ticketed event
1415 Key Highway, Baltimore, Md. www.thebmi.org/

Saturday, November 2, 2013 -Meet and greet/vendor
"Motivating Spirits" conference talk by Dustin Pari and John Tenney

 Holiday Inn Historic Gateway
333 Front Royal Pike, Winchester, VA 22602
 Tickets for their event: $55.00- (I'll be in the vendor area)
http://www.spiritwatch.net/#!motivating-the-spirits/c1b42


Saturday, August 31, 2013

Great Skype with a Great group: TMPRG

Today, Saturday, August 31,  I had a great Skype Interview/conversation with Bob St. Andre, and members of the Massachusetts Paranormal Research Group. What an amazing and talented group. We shared experiences, theories, and investigation techniques. There's a great diversity in the group, too.  If anyone in central Massachusetts needs paranormal assistance, please give them a call. They're amazing! 
  A little about them from their website:     The Massachusetts Paranormal Research Group is an all volunteer organization. Our mission statement is simply this: We will assist people who are experiencing paranormal activity, events or episodes and provide them with a solution or explanation for their specific encounter while adhering to strict policies and guidelines to protect their confidentiality.
http://www.tmprg.com/

Ghostly Pets of Hampton Court Palace, England

I recently visited  Hampton Court Palace in England, and there are a number of human ghosts there, but there are two animal ghosts that have become famous. While researching this blog, I also learned that one of the kings that followed Henry VIII granted a special position to a certain breed of dog.
A ghostly dog? Cr: Engagget.com

The King's Staircase: Phantom Dog Hangout
Ghost cat  Credit: www.pxleyes.com
THE PHANTOM DOG -According to Hampton Court Palace's book "Is the Palace Haunted?: Palace Phantoms" - there's a dog that has been seen and heard at the King's Staircase in the William and Mary section of the palace.  Queen Victoria had banned all dogs from the palace except "lap-dogs, but this ghostly dog is reputed to be a mongrel dog. No one has a clue if this dog was a pet or a guard dog, but reports from State Apartment Warders (people that work in that part of the building) and others during the 1990s indicated that a ghostly dog had been seen and heard.

A GHOSTLY CAT - The old information center has been reported several times by information center staff and visitors. Especially during the 1980s and 1990s, visitors reported having to step over something and that was a white cat! However, there were no cats in the palace. Here's our Video from 2010 of the location where the ghostly cat has been seen: Hampton Court Ghost Cat Area

Charles II as an infant in 1630, painting attributed to Justus van Egmont



KING CHARLES II THE DOG LOVER- History shows that King Charles II was a dog lover. Under royal decree, King Charles II granted King Charles Cavalier Spaniels (named for him obviously) the ability to go anywhere in Parliment buildings.  The royal decree was referred to as the 'commons dogging charter.' Of course, he was displeased with Parliment, so this was one way of getting at them.  Charles II was the king of England, Scotland, and Ireland and lived from (May 29, 1630  to Feb. 6, 1685. His father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall Palace in London on January 30, 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War.
   It was obvious that he had an affinity for dogs since a painting of Charles II as a child depicts a small dog on his lap, that resembles a Charles Cavalier Spaniel.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

ARTICLE: How the ouija board really moves

As a scientist, I'm always looking for ways to explain or confirm the paranormal. This article from BBC News on July 29 provides an interesting explanation of how the ouija board plancehette moves. I think that some of it is our motion, but some may also be from the thoughts of ghosts and spirits on the other side. I've found that Ouija board use tends to open doors to any type of ghost or spirit- and some of them are not good.  I'd be curious to hear what you think.
Rob 

ARTICLE: How the ouija board really moves


The mystery isn’t a connection to the spirit world, but why we can make movements and yet not realise that we're making them. 


Ouija board cups and dowsing wands – just two examples of mystical items that seem to move of their own accord, when they are really being moved by the people holding them. The only mystery is not one of a connection to the spirit world, but of why we can make movements and yet not realise that we're making them.

Ouija board. Credit: www.ghostgirlparanormal.com
The phenomenon is called the ideomotor effect and you can witness it yourself if you hang a small weight like a button or a ring from a string (ideally more than a foot long). Hold the end of the string with your arm out in front of you, so the weight hangs down freely. Try to hold your arm completely still. The weight will start to swing clockwise or anticlockwise in small circles. Do not start this motion yourself. Instead, just ask yourself a question – any question – and say that the weight will swing clockwise to answer "Yes" and anticlockwise for "No". Hold this thought in mind, and soon, even though you are trying not to make any motion, the weight will start to swing in answer to your question.

Magic? Only the ordinary everyday magic of consciousness. There's no supernatural force at work, just tiny movements you are making without realising. The string allows these movements to be exaggerated, the inertia of the weight allows them to be conserved and built on until they form a regular swinging motion. The effect is known as Chevreul's Pendulum, after the 19th Century French scientist who investigated it.

What is happening with Chevreul's Pendulum is that you are witnessing a movement (of the weight) without "owning" that movement as being caused by you. The same basic phenomenon underlies dowsing – where small movements of the hands cause the dowsing wand to swing wildly – or the Ouija board, where multiple people hold a cup and it seems to move of its own accord to answer questions by spelling out letters.

This effect also underlies the sad case of "facilitated communication", a fad whereby carers believed they could help severely disabled children communicate by guiding their fingers around a keyboard. Research showed that the carers – completely innocently – were typing the messages themselves, rather than interpreting movements from their charges.
The interesting thing about the phenomenon is what it says about the mind. That we can make movements that we don't realise we're making suggests that we shouldn't be so confident in our other judgements about what movements we think are ours. Sure enough, in the right circumstances, you can get people to believe they have caused things that actually come from a completely independent source (something which shouldn't surprise anyone who has reflected on the madness of people who claim that it only started raining because they forget an umbrella).

You can read what this means for the nature of our minds in The Illusion of Conscious Will by psychologist Daniel Wegner, who sadly died last month. Wegner argued that our normal sense of owning an action is an illusion, or – if you will – a construction. The mental processes which directly control our movements are not connected to the same processes which figure out what caused what, he claimed.

The situation is not that of a mental command-and-control structure like a disciplined army; whereby a general issues orders to the troops, they carry out the order and the general gets back a report saying "Sir! We did it. The right hand is moving into action!". The situation is more akin to an organised collective, claims Wegner: the general can issue orders, and watch what happens, but he's never sure exactly what caused what. Instead, just like with other people, our consciousness (the general in this metaphor) has to apply some principles to figure out when a movement is one we've made.

One of these principles is that cause has to be consistent with effect. If you think "I'll move my hand" and your hand moves, you're likely to automatically get the feeling that the movement was one you made. The principle is broken when the thought is different from the effect, such as with Chevreul's Pendulum. If you think "I'm not moving my hand", you are less inclined to connect any small movements you make with such large visual effects.

This maybe explains why kids can shout "It wasn't me!" after breaking something in plain sight. They thought to themselves "I'll just give this a little push", and when it falls off the table and breaks it doesn't feel like something they did.

Article: BBC News Story from July 29, 2013 on What Makes the Ouija Board Move