Soul 101: What is a Soul? Animals and People Have Souls

It seems that some people really don't have a good idea about what a "soul" really is - so today's blog will explain a "Soul 101" and help you understand what it means, and that every living thing has one as I describe in my books.   

WHAT IS A SOUL? In many societies and religions it is the immortal essence of a living thing. A soul is actually the energy in EVERY living thing that combines memories and personalities.
DO ANIMALS HAVE SOULS?  Of course. Every living thing has a soul. To think otherwise is crazy. Animals (and dinosaurs) lived and died on Earth long before humans ever showed up. They survived because they had intelligence, instinct, emotions, memories, and their own personalities. After all, what makes one animal a pack leader and not all of them? Why are some animals shy? easily frightened? bold? challenging? That's personality. They all have it, just as humans do. 
WHO QUESTIONS IT AND WHERE DID THE CRAZY IDEA COME FROM? According to most of the Abrahamic religions, only human beings have immortal souls. Evangelical-Biblical Literalist, Baptists and Church of Christ churches believe animals have no soul.

All living things have souls

Recently, the catholic faith even proclaimed that "Animals and plants" have souls  - but they put a "limit" on their statement thinking pets don't have conceptual intelligence, which I assure you, THEY DO. 
Why the Catholic faith (the one I grew up in and out of) thinks anything but people can be spirit is non-sensical. A spirit is a spirit. Period. That's like thinking because you have a college degree you'll be a spirit, but your neighbor who didn't go to college isn't smart enough to be a spirit in the afterlife. Do you see why it is a ridiculous argument? 

I'm unsure where that belief came from but as you can see from the logic above, it's absolutely untrue. Any living thing that can figure out how to survive, from a bird to an ant to wild boar has a soul. They have intelligence and a soul. Only ZOMBIES are soul-less. :)

DOES ANY  RELIGION BELIEVE ANIMALS HAVE SOULS?  Yes. Sikhism, Hinduism, Orthodox, Mormonism believe (and understand that animals have souls.  Islam and Judaism have conflicting beliefs- some sects believe it, others do not.  But religions were developed to help explain the afterlife, and some get bits and pieces correct, while others do not. There is no "correct" religion. Just remember it's all about energy and spirituality.

BOTTOM LINE: For anyone who loses a pet and says "Animals don't have souls" please assure them they do, and they will be with us in paradise/other side/heaven/Valhalla, whatever you want to call it where all of the energies reside after the physical life is over. To think that any living thing doesn't have a soul is truly ridiculous. Animals have lived eons before mankind ever walked the Earth and they would never have survived if they couldn't think, feel and learn. 

For Rob Gutro's books: "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead," "Pets and the Afterlife,"  "Pets and the Afterlife 2" and "Ghostso f England on a Medium's Vacation -  visit Amazon.com   (or click this link)

Video: My Encounter with a Ghost in Fort Mc Henry Baltimore

I had ghostly experiences at Fort Mc Henry, Baltimore and recorded my encounter right outside of the location where it occurred.. Barracks Number 2 was a particularly active location. Here's a short video that I made after going into Barracks Number 2. It was in this room that I experienced stabbing pain in my side, and a ghost that died in that room was telling me that he had shrapnel in his side when he passed.

ABOUT FORT MCHENRY: Fort McHenry is a National Park Service Historic Site in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. This fort is surrounded by water on three sides, and has wonderful grounds to enjoy outside the fort. The National Park Service manages the park, and has a great new visitor's center with an amazing museum and displays showing the history of the fort. There's also a fantastic short film that explains how the Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key, as a result of his observations during a ship battle in the War of 1812. For more information about the park, visit: www.nps.gov/fomc/‎

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/O5LMgoza66g







For Rob Gutro's 5 books on the paranormal, visit: www.amazon.com. All of Rob's books were written to help explain the paranormal, and teach readers how to find signs from spirit. 

 

Friday Night Ghost Frights: 6 Wrongly Convicted Witches Who Are Now Ghosts!

It's Mike Ricksecker's Friday Night Ghost Frights and this week it's about 6 witches who are now ghosts! Some historic witches that went through grisly witch trials are still haunting the earth hundreds of years later. We recap their witch trial and take a look at the haunted places they're said to roam in the afterlife on the latest Friday Night Ghost Frights!
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/5tdZmbkgKdM

#witches #ghosts #haunted #paranormal #supernatural #TeamHRM #ExploreWithUs

FRIDAY NIGHT GHOST FRIGHTS are spooky, creepy ghost stories from Haunted Road Media -- true paranormal and supernatural encounters, real story time tales from personal experiences, paranormal investigations, and haunted history!

For more information about Haunted Road Media: http://www.hauntedroadmedia.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HauntedRoadMed Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hauntedroadm... More information about Mike Ricksecker: http://www.mikericksecker.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MikeRicksecker Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MikeRickseck... Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/mikericksecker

Amazing Book for ALL Pet Parents: Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

   A friend recommended that we read "Lily and the Octopus" by Steven Rowley and I have to say it THE best book about a pet parent and his dog, named Lily, which in this case happens to be a Dachshund (like 3 of  our kids). 

  The story is all about a single dog dad who one day sees a tumor growing over his 12 year old Dachshund's eye and refuses to acknowledge the word, so he calls in an Octopus. The book is delightful, and really shows how a dog dad should be- he and Lily have movie nights, board game nights (he plays for her), and a night to talk about guys. The book is so fun, and so moving as the dog dad goes through coping with the ultimate outcome, but it's a book about the special bond between a dog parent and his dog-kid.
   It's also very helpful for anyone facing making that choice to let their beloved fur-kid pass out of pain. 

  ALL pet parents should read it!

5 of 5 stars!  (It was also a National Bestseller).

  ***THIS IS ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE NOVELS**

  BTW- I find it appropriate that I'm posting a blog about a book I read today, which would have been my dad's 90th birthday, since he inspired me to read a lot!   - Rob

VIDEO: Novelist Steven Rowley, author of Lily and the Octopus, fondly remembers meeting his charming, little dachshund Lily for the first time.
Link: https://youtu.be/XJLrxSSJ9Tw 

Tarot Tuesday: Five of Swords

My friend Joy Andreasen of "Whispers of Joy" provides Tarot readings and here's her Tarot Tuesday:

Joy Says, "With election day being today, there are a lot of ruffled feathers as people choose sides. No matter what your political opinions, remember we are all brothers and sisters. Yes, vote. Stand up for what you believe, but allow others the same courtesy. Be kind to all." 

THE CARD: The Five of Swords card depicts a young man who has a very convenient look of contempt on his face. He is looking at the enemies that he has managed to conquer. There are five swords that he possesses – which he has taken from the other combatants who are in the card. The two other figures are walking away from him in a slow manner with a sense of loss and sadness. Above them, the sky is tumultuous and cloudy, which indicates that not everything is well, despite the fact that the battle is already over.

 BIOGRAPHY Joy Andreasen is an author, shamanic practitioner, psychic medium, spiritual consultant, Reiki Master Teacher and wedding officiant. She has been giving messages from Spirit for almost twenty years. She teaches spiritual development and shamanic classes in Winchester and Herndon Virginia which are always highly acclaimed.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/whispersofjoy 
EMAIL: joyandreasen@gmail.com
WEBSITE: : http://www.WhispersofJoy.net 
ABOUT: Shamanic healer/practitioner, psychic medium, interfaith minister, intuitive counselor, energy healing practitioner, Reiki Master Teacher, and writer

PODCAST! - Hear Rob Gutro talk "Spirit Pets" on "The Ghost Host show"

 If you missed Rob Gutro's interview on The Ghost Host Show this past weekend, you can listen here to this 55 minute podcast : 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/liveparanormal/2018/11/03/pet-medium-author-rob-gutro-on-air-live-113 

In the News from the U.K.: M6 CRASH HORROR: Motorway fatalities 'due to ghosts of Roman soldiers'

A psychic has blamed ghosts for traffic accidents on  M6   (Image: GETTY IMAG

Here's an article from the United Kingdom about one area along a major highway that  suffers from a lot of crashes and a psychic says it's because of ancient ghosts...


M6 CRASH HORROR: Motorway fatalities 'due to ghosts of Roman soldiers'
AN ACCIDENT-PRONE stretch of the M6 in Cheshire sees more crashes than other sections of the road because it is haunted by ghosts of Roman soldiers, a psychic has claimed.
By Harvey Gavin PUBLISHED: 09:50, Mon, Sep 24, 2018 

A series of strange phenomena have been reported by motorists between junction 16 and 19, including phantom lorries, spectral hitchhikers and sightings of legionnaires.
 
Mike Brooker says the disturbance caused by a £250million upgrade project could be to blame. He said a Roman burial ground in the area of the roadworks may have awoken 2,000-year-old spirits which now haunt motorists and cause crashes.

The 53-year-old, from Northwich, has dubbed the area ‘Cheshire’s Bermuda Triangle’ because of the relatively high number of accidents on the “treacherous” stretch of road. He told ChesireLive: “I personally know people who have lost their lives and families who have been affected by accidents on this stretch of motorway. “I am leaning towards the theory that it can be connected to Saxon involvement. “There are reports of a Roman burial ground and that there was an historic clash between Scottish and English armies. There are so many variables and possibilities.

“For decades now, the amount of accidents on the M6 motorway between junctions 17 and 19 is completely unprecedented and, statistically, this is without doubt one of the worst ‘accident black-spots’ on any motorway network in the UK.”

Highways England is upgrading a 20-mile stretch of the M6 which will allow the authority to adjust speed limits in real-time in an effort to ease congestion and make the road safer. The ‘SMART motorway’ works include emergency areas at J18/19, 70 CCTV camera and 258 new electronic signs.

But Mr Brooker warned accidents in the area will continue because the reason behind the accidents is a supernatural one and plans to investigate to uncover the cause. Roman soldiers Mike Brooker says the ghosts of Roman soldiers could be causing crashes between J16 and J19 He said: “There appear to be two principal answers that come up, one is that the motorway was built on a Roman burial site and the other, is that it was the site of the slaughter of a number of the Scottish army dating back over 200 years.

 “There is no clear evidence either way to support or substantiate these claims but what is clear is that something is very wrong to cause so many accidents on what is to all intents and purposes and fairly straight stretch of road.

 “I ‘personally’ believe there is something supernatural that has attached itself to this particular stretch of motorway… when ‘science’ holds its hands up and is at a complete loss to explain this plethora of accidents/incidents between junctions 17 and 19 of the M6; there is perhaps an alternate explanation.”

Interview TODAY at 3pm EDT! on The Ghost Host Show -liveparanormal.com

This Saturday -- Listen Live and Call in! - Rob Gutro is a guest on The Ghost Host Sophia Temperilli show on   LiveParanormal.com  this coming Saturday 11/3, 12pm PT, 3pm ET, 8pm primetime U.K GMT!!

The direct LiveParanormal.com switchboard call-in's -- 619 639-4606.

- We'll be talking about pets and the afterlife and taking questions.

   Twitter: @GhostHostShow / @SophiaTemperili

Friday Night Ghost Frights:Real Ghost Caught on Camera at 217 Terror Haunted House!

It's Friday, so that means it's Mike Ricksecker's Friday Night Ghost Frights video and this week it's about a Real Ghost Caught on Camera at 217 Terror Haunted House! Real Ghost Caught on Camera at 217 Terror Haunted House in Roodhouse, Illinois! This commercial haunted house is truly haunted with real ghosts and spirits from the historic home it had once been. We're back for a paranormal investigation in which we capture a ghost on camera in one of the room we caught fantastic paranormal activity last year. Join us for the Haunted Road Media Halloween special at the 217 Terror Haunted House, and help support 217 as their haunt is now endangered! #ghosts #haunted #ParanormalInvestigation #supernatural #TeamHRM #ExploreWithUs Last year's full paranormal investigation video at: https://youtu.be/PNelPMzRGBs

Photos and Experiences at Strathmore Mansion's Halloween Tea

A Haunted Tea at the Strathmore Mansion

Thanks to all who came out to support the Strathmore Mansion at their Haunted Halloween Tea on Wednesday Oct. 31.  

   I made a return Halloween appearance and this year I talked about my newest book "Ghosts of England: On a Medium's Vacation." 

  I provided a few highlights from chapters on Hampton Court Palace, Whitehall Palace, our haunted room in a castle Bed and Breakfast, and more.  
  When I announced that I had time for one more story several people asked for the ghost dog story.

     There were a lot of great questions and people seemed really engaged. Of course, since the ghosts were from different periods in England's history,and the places I encountered the ghosts ranged from churches to palaces to pubs and homes, there was a lot to cover.

  You can read about them in my book, though- and learn history while enjoying my own personal ghostly encounters!
 The Strathmore Mansion is located on Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda, Md.  

A special rock painted by my friend Ronda

TICKETS: https://www.strathmore.org/events-and-

tickets/afternoon-tea