Psychic Source.com Interviews Rob Gutro, Author of 'Pets and the Afterlife

 

Check out the Psychic Source Facebook page to win your own copy of 'Pets and the Afterlife' by Rob Gutro.

Psychic Source.com Interviews   Rob Gutro, Author of 'Pets and the Afterlife'
Source: http://www.psychicsource.com/article/loss-grieving/interview-with-rob-gutro-author-of-pets-and-the-afterlife/7246

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Rob Gutro, author of Pets and the Afterlife (win a free copy--see details below), is not your typical psychic medium. He's a meteorologist who's decided to use his psychic abilities to help comfort those grieving from the loss of a pet. Rob's still working on mastering the ropes of the spirit world, but his goal is to help as many people as possible in the process. He's not a Psychic Source Advisor, but we believe our community can learn a lot from his expertise and warm heart.

 




When did you first realize you could communicate with the other side and what was that experience like?

The experience was startling. I was 13 years old and saw my grandfather materialize.

I was home alone, sitting at the kitchen table drawing, when I saw lights out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and two rooms away in the living room, the lights came together and formed my grandfather in full color. I grabbed the family dog and ran outside where I sat on the stairs for an hour until my parents came home from shopping. My mother wasn’t surprised at all—she had the gift, too. It turned out that my grandfather appeared during the month of his birthday, which is a common time for spirits to communicate.

Why do only some pets come through or send signs while other don’t? What would you tell someone who is desperately trying to reach their pet on the other side to no avail?

Pets, like people, only come through when they have something to tell us. People and pets usually return around the times of birthdays, anniversaries or holidays. They all give us signs—we just miss them—so I wrote the books to educate people on how to see them!

Grief blocks out signs. When we’re desperate to see something, we tend to dismiss things for something more "concrete." Spirits and ghosts use subtle signs because it takes a lot of energy for them to communicate. If people are sick with grief, that's when they should rely on a medium. They should also take comfort in knowing spirits come around from time to time, they're not always with us. They don't belong here because they're beings of energy.

Your book goes into detail about what a pet’s ashes can do. Could you explain this briefly?

Sure. In Pets and the Afterlife, I explain that ashes can act as somewhat of a draw to help bring pets (and people) to you. The physical remains, even ashes, hold residual energy. It's all a good thing because the love we share with them is a positive emotional energy and helps them "power up" to give us signs from time to time.

I will caution that if a relative you weren’t fond of passed and you have their ashes, you may want to bury them! People who were not nice in life are often not the nicest on the other side, although they do usually learn their lessons there and improve. ?

What’s the difference between spirits and ghosts?

This is my favorite question. The words are often used to mean the same thing but they're really not. When we pass, the physical energies that run through our bodies couple with our memories and personalities as an entity of energy. Then we make a conscious choice to stay here on Earth as a ghost, or cross over and join the energies of the universe/Heaven/Valhalla/Paradise (whatever you want to call it) as a spirit.

Both use the same physical energies to manifest or give signs: heat, light, water, electricity. Ghosts draw on negative emotional energy—fear, anxiety, depression, and anger—which doesn't mean a ghost is a bad personality; it's all about location. Spirits draw on positive emotional energy—love, faith and hope—to "power up" and communicate.

Rob is a member of Inspired Ghost Tracking

It’s very interesting that you’re both a meteorologist and a medium. In your bio, it says that you “provide scientific and logical explanations about spirit communications.” Can you give us an example of how this applies? 
You don't have to be a religious person to know there's an afterlife; all you need is science. The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed. Think of how scientists measure the thoughts in our brains with little electrical impulses. Think of the energy of the blood pumping in our bodies. Where does the energy go after our bodies give out?  It couples with our memories and personalities to become a ghost or spirit.

As energy, spirits and ghosts can manipulate electricity. We detect them with scientific equipment like electromagnetic field detectors, digital recorders, infrared cameras, and digital thermometers. As energy, they draw energy even from the fast moving molecules of air (warm air) and take the kinetic energy (motion) to slow down those molecules (slower moving molecules of air are colder; that's why we feel "cold spots" whenever there's a ghost or spirit around). Further, we use digital recorders to pick up spirit voices that are at a higher frequency—a frequency that dogs and cats can hear.

I think it's a matter of time until science actually catches up to the paranormal and proves that it's "normal" for us to become entities of energy after we pass from the physical.

What’s one of the most memorable moments you’ve had or felt while connecting with one of your dogs in the afterlife?

After my late dachshund Sprite passed in 2013, he sent us a butterfly. Spirits have the ability to manipulate and influence things in nature, like birds, butterflies, feathers, flowers, etc.   

All summer long, we hadn't seen a butterfly in our backyard, despite having two butterfly bushes. However, after Sprite's passing when we let our other three dogs out in the backyard, a large yellow and black butterfly flew around them for quite a long time and they didn't chase after it (usually they would). The butterfly landed on the grass near them and sat (I took several close up photos of it). The dogs walked around it, as if they were walking around Sprite.  We knew Sprite sent the butterfly.

When I wrote about it later on my personal blog, two friends in different states got a visit from Sprite as they read about his butterfly on their IPads while sitting outside. As they were reading, a yellow and black butterfly landed on them—in Maryland on my friend Jill's stomach, and in New Mexico on my friend Layla's shoulder. They contacted me immediately and told me Sprite's spirit had just visited them and acknowledged that they were reading about him.

What advice would you give someone who can’t seem to grapple with the loss of a pet or find closure?

Know that they are around you. Close your eyes and know that the love we share binds us together forever. Love is an amazing energy and energy can't be destroyed. Keep your mind open, too. Don't discount anything that may be a sign because there's no such thing as a coincidence when it comes to spirit.

Pets, like people who pass, don't want us to be stuck in grief. Although grieving is a natural part of experiencing physical loss, it should not cripple you and prevent you from enjoying life and love.  Our late pets (and people) want us to be happy, to live our lives and to help other pets who don't have homes or the love that our late pets enjoyed. One of the best ways to pay tribute to a pet that passed is to adopt or foster another and give that pet a chance to experience love (and not waste the love you have to give).

---

Barb Mallon's Event: HOLIDAY MESSAGES FROM SPIRIT! 12/13/14

My friend and medium Barb Mallon is holding a special event and it's a great gift to give people missing someone (in spirit) on the holidays. (sadly, I'm unable to attend). Barb says there are limited seats (just 30). 
 
HOLIDAY MESSAGES FROM SPIRIT!Saturday, Dec. 13
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Chantilly, VA

 

Do you have family in town for the holidays?  Looking for something unique to do?

 

Join medium Barb Mallon for a very special afternoon of inspiration, validations, and messages from loved ones on the other side!   

This event will also benefit a local animal no kill animal shelter, Friends of Homeless Animals  (FOHA).  Bring something from the list on the event page and get a discount on the ticket price!   We will have special reserved seating for this event - FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE!  *Please register accordingly when checking out.

This event is much like Barb's larger mediumship events; however, instead of an audience of 60 or more, only 30 seats will be available.  This gives participants a better chance of having their own special reading.  We may also have a few of Barb's mediumship students present who may have extra messages at the end of the evening!

This very intimate setting is a wonderful way to experience the process of mediumship through possibly your own reading or through the readings of others*.   Barb will start with a small talk and after the break will relay messages from the other side and guides to those members of the audience she's pulled to. She then finishes with a small Q & A session.

Medium Barb Mallon

Barb strives to get to as many members of the audience that she can get to* during this event; however, keep in mind that those spirit people with the most dominant energy are the ones who will be able to come through. While she will do her best to keep the readings equal lengths, some spirit people have more to say than others. Some readings may be 5 minutes, while others may be a bit longer. 

Please join Barb after the Q&A session for an intimate reception with holiday refreshments, music and tables of holiday gifts for purchase!  Barb will have NEW pieces of her hand-crafted sterling silver jewelry for sale, as well!  To purchase Tickets to Barb's Event: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/holiday-messages-from-spirit-tickets-14297140131?ref=ebtnebtckt
   

PROGRAM: 

4:00 - 4:30 - Introduction

4:45 - 6:00 - Audience readings/Q&A 

6:00 - 7:00 - Holiday refreshments & gift tables

Pets and the Afterlife: Research: Brain Scans Reveal What Dogs Really Think of Us

In my book "Pets and the Afterlife" I explained how dogs learn and behave just like human children, and are thus able to communicate with us from the other side. One of the scientific studies I included in the book was from Hungary.
  In Budapest, researchers at Eotvos Lorand University studied canine brain activity in response to different human and dog sounds, including voices, barks and the meaningful grunts and sighs both species emit. Before this study, we had no idea what happens inside canine brains when humans make noise.
   Here's the article that goes in depth on the study, and also mentions the other study I referenced in the book (from Emory University) that showed similar results.

Brain Scans Reveal What Dogs Really Think of Us

This partner story is part of BrainMic, a collaboration with GE to share the latest advances in brain research and technology.

http://mic.com/articles/104474/brain-scans-reveal-what-dogs-really-think-of-us 

We love our dogs.

In the 30,000 years humans and dogs have lived together, man's best friend has only become a more popular and beloved pet. Today, dogs are a fixture in almost 50% of American households.
From the way dogs thump their tails, invade our laps and steal our pillows, it certainly seems like they love us back. But since dogs can't tell us what's going on inside their furry heads, can we ever be sure?
Actually, yes. Thanks to recent developments in brain imaging technology, we're starting to get a better picture of the happenings inside the canine cranium.
That's right — scientists are actually studying the brains of dogs. And what the studies show is welcome news for all dog owners: Not only do dogs seem to love us back, they actually see us as their family. It turns out that dogs rely on humans more than they do their own kind for affection, protection and everything in between.

• 

  Dogs line up for an MRI Scan

Dogs gathered around MRI scanner MR Research Center in Budapest. Image Credit: Borbala Ferenczy
The most direct brain-based evidence that dogs are hopelessly devoted to humans comes from a recent neuroimaging study about odor processing in the dog brain. Animal cognition scientists at Emory University trained dogs to lie still in an MRI machine and used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to measure their neural responses to the smell of people and dogs, both familiar and unknown. Because dogs navigate the world through their noses, the way they process smell offers a lot of potential insight into social behavior.
The scientists found that dog owners' aroma actually sparked activation in the "reward center" of their brains, called the caudate nucleus. Of all the wafting smells to take in, dogs actually prioritized the hint of humans over anything or anyone else.
These results jive with other canine neuroimaging research. In Budapest, researchers at Eotvos Lorand University studied canine brain activity in response to different human and dog sounds, including voices, barks and the meaningful grunts and sighs both species emit. Before this study, we had no idea what happens inside canine brains when humans make noise.
Among other surprising findings, the study revealed marked similarities in the way dog and human brains process emotionally laden vocal sounds. Researchers found that happy sounds in particular light up the auditory cortex in both species. This commonality speaks to the uniquely strong communication system underlying the dog-human bond.
In short: Dogs don't just seem to pick up on our subtle mood changes — they are actually physically wired to pick up on them.
"It's very interesting to understand the tool kit that helps such successful vocal communication between two species," Attila Andics, a neuroscientist and lead author of the study, told Mic. "We didn't need neuroimaging to see that communication works [between dogs and people], but without it, we didn't understand why it works. Now we're really starting to."

Dog in an MRI

Dog waiting to be scanned at MR Research Center in Budapest. Image Credit: Borbala Ferenczy.
Behavior research supports the recent neuroscience too. According to Andics, dogs interact with their human caregivers in the same way babies do their parents. When dogs are scared or worried, they run to their owners, just as distressed toddlers make a beeline for their parents. This is in stark contrast to other domesticated animals: Petrified cats, as well as horses, will run away.
Dogs are also the only non-primate animal to look people in the eyes. This is something Andics, along with other researchers, discovered about a decade ago when he studied the domestication of wolves, which he thought would share that trait. They endeavored to raise wolves like dogs. This is a unique behavior between dogs and humans — dogs seek out eye contact from people, but not their biological dog parents.
"Bonding with owners is much more important for dogs than other pets," said Andics.

Image Credit: Getty
Scientists have also looked at the dog-human relationship from the other direction. As it turns out, people reciprocate dogs' strong feelings. In a study published in PLOS One in October, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers measured human brain activity in response to photos of dogs and children. Study participants were women who'd had dogs and babies for at least two years. Both types of photos sparked activity in brain regions associated with emotion, reward, affiliation, visual processing and social interaction. Basically, both furry and (typically) less-furry family members make us equally happy.

Credit: Getty Images

Dog-lovers have committed a few notable gaffes in interpreting dogs' facial expressions, e.g., assuming the often-documented hangdog look signifies guilt, an emotion that, most behavior experts agree, requires a multifaceted notion of self-awareness that dogs probably don't have.
But, as with family, our instinctive hunches about dog behavior are often correct.
"Sometimes our intuition about what's going on inside dogs' heads is dead-on," said Laurie Santos, the lead researcher at Yale's Canine Cognition Center. "Like, that dogs are seeking out help from us — and that's true based on studies — which is different from even their closest relatives, wolves."
The precise wish or worry lurking in a dog's doleful look may not always be clear. But we can relish the fact that we know our pets love us as much as we hoped, maybe even more. Even if they're not full-fledged children, they see us as family. And to us? Well, they'll always be our babies.

FOR THE BOOK "PETS and the AFTERLIFE SUMMARY: To lose a pet means to lose a child. The love we share with our pets never dies, and the author proves our pets do communicate with us from the other side.
    Learn how dogs, cats, horses and some birds have the intelligence and ability to send signs to the living after they pass.
    Take comfort in knowing our pets are around us from time to time and recognize the signs they give. Learn how they wait for us when it’s our time, what a pet’s ashes can do, and the difference between ghosts and spirits. Learn how and why living pets can sense entities. Follow one of the author's dogs on a ghost investigation.
   Read how spirits of the author’s 2 dogs and dogs from three other mediums communicated with them from the other side. Read about spirit cats and how a ghostly dog rescued a girl.
    The author also volunteers for Dachshund and Weimaraner rescues and has several dogs. 
ON AMAZON in PAPERBACK AND KINDLE: Click here for Amazon Link to book 

PART 1: Q & A from Anne Marie with Rob Gutro, Author/Medium/Ghost Tracker

Back in September I gave a talk at a VFW post and there were both ghosts and spirits there. I received a lot of great questions from Anne Marie C. after she read the blog post I wrote about it, and this is part 1 of that Q and A: 

Q: Could you actually SEE the pets and people there?

A: Yes, I actually could see pets and people in the room.  I had to look again around the room to be able to describe them!

Q: Do they look different than people standing in the room? How so?

A: When I see ghosts or spirits in a room they look somewhat clouded or misty sometimes. Most times I see them in my mind and can sketch out exactly what they look like.

Q: Did the humans have any message to convey?

A:  The human spirits that were there didn't have messages that I could tune into, because I was concentrating so much on what I was trying to convey. It's just like trying to listen to someone in the audience talk softly to you when you're giving a speech!  

Q: Were those spirits able to reach the persons they came to see, do you think?

A: Yes. During my talk at Inspired Ghost Tracking, there were a couple of people who got through to the people in the audience that they needed to.

- One was a younger Vet, though, who fought in Afghanistan and died there. He was from the local area and was just "visiting" at the VFW because of the energy of the people that drew him there. He wanted his family to know that he was okay on the other side (but they were not there).

Q: How often do you think we have spirits around us that aren’t able to convey something to us?

A: Spirits are around us only from time to time, and mostly go unnoticed unless we are involved in a traumatic thing, like an accident where we walk away and we can't explain why we didn't pass.

- They also come around on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays.

Q: Does this require an effort on their part that is often too difficult for them to muster up the energy for?

A: It does require a LOT of effort on the part of a spirit to get enough energy to give a clear sign or message. Especially when the grief of a living person tends to block out those signs.

  

Q: Does it frighten you when you see them, or are you just used to it at this point?

A: Not scared of them at all!  In fact, all of the visitors were spirits that came to try and connect with people in the room. They were all people or dogs and cats that lived before in the physical. Now they're just in the spiritual, and they're there out of love. So, yes, I'm used to it! 

Pets and the Afterlife #38 in Amazon Supernatural Books!

Thank you to all of the folks who have read and recommended my book "Pets and the Afterlife" to help grieving pet parents know that their beloved pets are still around and communicating.  Yesterday, Nov. 20, the book reached  #38 in

Supernatural Books on Amazon.com!

• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,804 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #38 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > Supernatural 
   

SUMMARY: To lose a pet means to lose a child. The love we share with our pets never dies, and the author proves our pets do communicate with us from the other side.
    Learn how dogs, cats, horses and some birds have the intelligence and ability to send signs to the living after they pass.
    Take comfort in knowing our pets are around us from time to time and recognize the signs they give. Learn how they wait for us when it’s our time, what a pet’s ashes can do, and the difference between ghosts and spirits. Learn how and why living pets can sense entities. Follow one of the author's dogs on a ghost investigation.
   Read how spirits of the author’s 2 dogs and dogs from three other mediums communicated with them from the other side. Read about spirit cats and how a ghostly dog rescued a girl.
    The author also volunteers for Dachshund and Weimaraner rescues and has several dogs.

A Look Inside the Haunted Eastern State Penitentiary

Inside Eastern State Penitentiary. Credit: E. Campion

Recently my friend Ed, who is a talented photographer, took a trip to walk though Pennsylvania's very haunted Eastern
State Penitentiary. It's open to visitors during the daytime and to get information and tickets, see below). Meanwhile, take this opportunity to learn about Pennsylvania's most infamous penitentiary that has a number of ghosts.

    ABOUT THE PRISON:  Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers.Known for its grand architecture and strict discipline, this was the world’s first true “penitentiary,” a prison designed to inspire penitence, or true regret, in the hearts of convicts. Its vaulted, sky-lit cells once held many of America’s most notorious criminals, including bank robber “Slick Willie” Sutton and Al Capone.

Ed's photos (which you can buy):  http://escampion.zenfolio.com/easternstatepenitentiary

Gargoyle at Eastern State. Cr: E.Campion

HAUNTINGS: As early as the 1940s, officers and inmates reported mysterious visions and eerie experiences in the ancient prison. And the ghost sightings have only increased since Eastern State was abandoned in 1971.

VIDEOS: Several Ghost Hunting Television programs investigated the prison, and you can see on of them here: Most Haunted Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEIP1lMJquo#t=281

HEAR SOME AUDIO ABOUT THE PRISON: http://www.easternstate.org/halloween/ghosts/audio

MORE INFORMATION AND HOW TO VISIT: http://www.easternstate.org/

Every day 10 am to 5 pm
(last entry 4 pm)
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Address:
2027 Fairmount Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Phone: (215) 236-3300

Check out the Big Séance Podcast !!

Patrick Keller, host of the Big Séance Podcast is taping an interview with me tonight for his upcoming New Year's Week 2015 show and I'm really excited about it. I thought this would be a good time to remind you of his program- because it's a top notch production and always entertaining and informative. - Rob

The Big Séance Podcast can be found right here at http://bigseancepodcast.com/,  and on iTunes, and on Stitcher. 
 Please subscribe, submit a rating, or share with a fellow paranerd! 
Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at Patrick@BigSeance.com. 
Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! 
You can also call the show and leave feedback at (775) 583-5563 (or 7755-TELL-ME). 
I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the séance! - Patrick

Patrick Keller

About Patrick Keller, host of the Big Seance

My name is Patrick Keller. Along with blogging and podcasting (bigseance.com), and doing various kinds of paranerdal research here at home, my main gig is being an educator. I am also the founder of the Missouri Spirit Seekers (mospiritseekers.com), a group of paranormal investigators based in both O’Fallon and Lexington, MO since 2010. I am a member of Association TransCommunication (ATransC) formerly the American Association of Electronic Voice Phenomena (AA-EVP).

In the news: New Mexico police catch a 'ghost' on camera

 The following article appeared on-line from a New Mexico Television station (local fox news broadcast). It was from footage in a parking lot for the Espanola Police Department. It was a locked lot and it appears there was a ghostly man walking around. What do you think?  Video and story follow.- Rob


New Mexico police catch a 'ghost' on camera

Published September 26, 2014
SOURCE: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/09/26/new-mexico-police-catch-ghost-on-camera/
   Next time you see a ghost, ‘who you gonna call?’ For those who live in Espanola, New Mexico, it won’t be Bill Murray and his fellow Ghostbusters, but instead the local police department. On Sept. 20, Officer Karl Romero of the Espanola Police Department was on duty watching surveillance video from around the station when he spotted something strange. What he saw spooked him. In the surveillance footage, a foggy figure is seen moving through a parking lot and through a secured gate.
   “At first I thought it was a fly, a moth, and then I saw the legs and it was a human,” Romero told KOAT.
While not entirely clear, the object in the video that moves across the screen appears to be walking. Skeptics might raise their eyebrows at Romero’s claims that the shape on the screen is something otherworldly, but it is the kind of spectral presence that Detective Solomon Romero said is not out of the ordinary at the station.
   “A lot of officers have seen certain things,” Det. Romero said. “Some officers have felt someone breathing down their necks as they’re working in the briefing room.”
   For those who have watched movies like “Poltergeist,” the question of whether or not the station is built over ancient burial grounds immediately comes up. KOAT reports that the department, which has been at this location since 2006, is not standing over any hallowed ground and no inmates have ever died on the premises.
      That being said, those who work at the station have their fair share of spine-tingling stories. Many of the officers have reported hearing unusual noises in the middle of the night as well as seeing strange images in the building’s lobby that can’t be easily explained.
     Just in time for Halloween season, these unexplained sightings have left many at the station rattled. Is the image in the video a speck of dust, or a visitor from the ‘beyond?’ For Det. Romero, at least, the answer is clear. “I do believe in ghosts,” Det. Romero said, adding that “we’ve had some unsolved murders in the area.”
VIDEO LINK: http://youtu.be/X4mMw0lcEYM

Want to learn more about how spirits communicate? 

 Check out my Book: LESSONS LEARNED FROM TALKING TO THE DEAD: Follow Rob on a treasure-hunt-style journey in Virginia as he and others try to explain what appear to be random and obscure words, signs and symbols from a spirit, that all wind up being intensely personal to the spirit.Explore the science behind how they communicate. Learn how to receive their messages, where they appear, and important messages in how to live your life. Rob takes you into cemeteries, battlefields, and historic places. You’ll see what happens to victims of suicide and murders, and how infants and animals pass messages to the living. Featuring: Inspired Ghost Tracking and mediums Barb Mallon, Troy Cline and Ruth Larkin. 

Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead for $8.99 paperback and $2.99 E-bookon AMAZON:http://tinyurl.com/q3bhgdeor to Purchase from the CreateSpace eStore:https://www.createspace.com/3824548

Give the Gift of Spirit with the Beantown Medium

What is a Ghost-Sign? It's not Sign from a Ghost!

A Ghost Sign on a Baltimore Building. Credit: Steve C. 

Here's a bit of Trivia that I just learned about from my friend Steve C. in Baltimore. He found out faded signs painted on the walls of old buildings are called "Ghost Signs." Here's an old Coca-Cola sign that Steve photographed on a building in Baltimore. Not a sign from a ghost, but a ghost sign!  

Here's the history of them according to Wikipedia: 
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_sign
    Ghost signs are found across the world with the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Canada having many surviving examples.^[1] Ghost signs are also called fading ads^[2] and brickads.^[3] In many cases these are advertisements painted on brick that remained over time.^[4] Old painted advertisements are occasionally discovered upon demolition of later-built adjoining structures. Throughout rural areas, old barn advertisements continue to promote defunct brands and quaint roadside attractions.
Many ghost signs from the 1890s to 1960s are still visible.^[4] Such signs were most commonly used in the decades before the Great Depression.^[5]



The painters of the signs were called "wall dogs".^[6] As signage advertising formats changed, less durable signs appeared in the later 20th century, and ghost signs from that era are less common.
Ghost signs were originally painted with oil based house paints. The paint that has survived the test of time most likely contains lead which keeps it strongly adhered to the masonry surface. Ghost signs were often preserved through reprinting the entire sign since the colors often fade over time. When ownership changed, a new sign would be painted over the old one.

Conservators today are being asked to preserve the original signs rather than painting over them.

References:

1. Ghost Signs - A Waymarking.com Category
2. see Fading Ad Gallery
3. see Ghost Signs
4. Ghost signs: Old slogans never die in Butte..., The Montana Standard (Butte, Montana). 9 August 2001. Accessed 6 September 2007.
5. Joseph Berger. "Fading Memories". New York Times. November 5, 2005. Retrieved on October 5, 2009. Genovese, Peter (March 30, 2012), Ghost signs: Jersey's commercial history is written large in faded paint on city buildings, The Star-Ledger, retrieved 2012-03-30