Q&A: Can I Separate Some of My Dad's Ashes?

Here's a question about the separation of ashes. This person wanted to put some of her dad's

ashes in a keepsake and wondered if it was okay. Here's the question and my response.  

QUESTION:  My Dad recently passed away Aug 5th 2018.. My sister and I want to keep some of his ashes and spread the rest in the ocean where he loved to be. Will our Dad be at peace if we keep some of his ashes? Can they be separated? Thank you. 

 MY REPONSE: Yes, the ashes can be separated. They really are just remnants of your dad- and your dad's spirit is alive and well. Often people in their wills ask for their ashes to be spread in different places they liked. In spirit, it really doesn't matter to them where the ashes go- because their spirit will be around you.

For the full blog about Ashes and Urns:

 https://ghostsandspiritsinsights.blogspot.com/2012/01/urns-ashes-and-spirit-visitors.html

You can get answers to MANY Paranormal questions in LESSONS LEARNED FROM TALKING TO THE DEAD by Rob Gutro, available on Amazon.com. 

Alex Matsuo's: 15 Things Paranormal Investigators Should Stop Making a Big Deal About

As a paranormal investigator and a medium, I've run into many of the things that my paranormal colleague Alex Matsuo talks about in her latest blog. Today's blog shares Alex's blog. You can find her page at: https://alexmatsuo.com/. Here's the blog she wrote about 15 Things Paranormal Investigators Should Stop Making a Big Deal About

 

15 Things Paranormal Investigators Should Stop Making a Big Deal About

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Alex Matsuo

This might be my most controversial blog to date…well, maybe. This is something I’ve talked about with other members of the paranormal community, and I managed to compile this list. There is a lot going on in the paranormal community. But these fifteen items seem to be something that remains consistent.

1. Egos

This seems to be an ongoing problem in the field that continues to get worse. You would think there would be more openness on the Island of Misfit Toys. What’s more, the things that drive people’s egos are ridiculous things like, “We’re on YouTube.” Yes, so are millions of other people. Or, “I’ve been on TV.” Great, so have a bunch of other people. It’s one thing to have confidence in yourself and the work that you do. But when people start ostracizing, excluding, and being hurtful to others because they’re “too good” for us regular folk…because they’re on YouTube, they’re “young”, or they’re “going places”, then that becomes problematic.

Weird timing, but a few days after I drafted this blog, I was sent this video of a gentleman who was basically told he couldn’t investigate with two teams because he was too old, and no one ever heard of him even though he had been in the field for so many years. I’m sorry, what? That’s ridiculous. YouTube doesn’t make you an instant celebrity, nor does age have ANYTHING to do with skills in the paranormal. Also, not everyone is trying to gain notoriety or celebrity status in this field. If I meet someone with decades more experience than me, heck yeah, come sit at the table and let me pick your brain while I buy you a cup of coffee!

2. Social Media Following

Influencers will tell you that social media following doesn’t mean ANYTHING anymore. It doesn’t mean you’re popular. Likes and follows can be bought these days, and you can tell when a page or profile does this. If you’re going to pay to grow your social media following, put money into Facebook and Instagram ads. The likes and follows you get from that will be genuine followers who will respond to your content. If a page has 300K likes and followers, but they only have an engagement of a few dozen; they bought their likes.

3. Online Classes

Man, when someone is offering an online paranormal class for a price, people lose their minds. Words like “scammer”, “someone trying to make easy money”, and “fraud” start coming out. Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with online classes. They can be useful. Now, if they’re offering a certification, then I raise an eyebrow. But, as someone who develops courses and eLearning as their day job, do y’all know how long it takes to make a course? Let alone a full out class with modules? Also, how expensive it is to give it a platform to live on? It takes time. If you don’t want to take the class, then don’t. But don’t demand that the instructor offers their expertise for free for the sake of “anyone can learn.” Go find someone offering their expertise for free. They’re out there. Yes, anyone can learn for free. If someone wants to pay for a class, it’s fine. Keep scrolling and move on.

4. Getting on a TV Show

This sort of hits on my first point. This drives me nuts. It really does. Why? Getting on a TV show isn’t the end-all, be-all in this field. I see folks get almost rabid if a new face gets on a TV show. Their experience is questioned, people wonder if they’re professional. Then there’s all this complaining about how there are people who have been in the field for decades who deserve their own show. Okay, here’s the deal; paranormal reality TV isn’t marketed to seasoned paranormal investigators. It’s marketed towards regular people who have no idea what the ghost hunting world is about. Personally, a lot of the shows I prefer to watch are on YouTube and Amazon Prime, and other more independent platforms. But, do you know what this means? You can create your own paranormal show! Don’t wait for the mainstream networks to make you an offer.

5. Para Unity

Don’t get me wrong, we should all treat each other with decency and respect. But, I’ve noticed that the people who yell, “Para unity!” the loudest are often the ones who treat others poorly. They steal material, gossip, put people on blast for no reason, and constantly air their drama. I’ve been asked to do some pretty awful things for the sake of “para unity.” Truth be told, I don’t believe we should be rewarding good behavior that we should already be doing as decent human beings. Don’t be a jerk. That means you shouldn’t steal other people’s images or videos. It’s not fair to keep building your platform on the hard work of others and give credit where credit is due.

6. Differing Opinions

Okay, I will out myself and admit that this is something I’m still working on. If someone disagrees with you, or doesn’t think that your evidence is showing a ghost, it doesn’t mean they’re attacking you. They won’t think any less of you unless you start personally attacking them. I’ve seen people put others on full blast and start doxxing their personal lives because they disagreed about an orb in a video. There is a lot of ego in this field to the point where folks are causing harm and heartache to others. It needs to stop.

7. Acronyms

Acronyms were cool back in the early 2000s, maybe in the 2010s. But, acronyms are kind of old now. Plus, I’ve seen some really weird team names for the sake of spelling out G.H.O.S.T. or P.A.R.A.N.O.R.M.A.L or S.P.I.R.I.T. It gets confusing too, and it can be hard to brand that. Do you know how many GHOST teams there are with that acronym? A lot. Too many to count.

8. CCTV Video

I’ve been seeing CCTV as the “end all be all” factor for paranormal evidence, and honestly, it’s not. It’s faulty. It lags, it freezes, and it makes things like raccoons look like demonic gnomes. Plus, CCTV footage can easily be manipulated. Unless I have a personal tie with that CCTV security system (it’s mine), and I can track what was captured and it’s hard to take anything on the internet at face value. I’m seeing more and more paranormal compilation videos on YouTube that are obviously fabricated, and it’s disappointing.

I know some will fight me tooth and nail on this, so I’m probably preaching to the choir since my regular readers align with the same thoughts as me. This is my opinion, and if you disagree, I promise I don’t hate you. Confession: I was a photographer before I considered myself a paranormal investigator. I knew what orbs were before I realized people called them ghosts and spirits in the paranormal community. Orbs are actually covered in a lot of manuals for cameras. It’s dust, moisture, bugs, dander, basically explainable. Yes, dust can look like it’s going through walls if it’s going in and out of focus. Bugs can look like angels or fairies on camera. Yes, you can see faces in orbs thanks to the pareidolia effect.

Does this mean I don’t believe in orbs? No. Another confession: I’ve seen orbs I couldn’t explain. But I saw them with my naked eye. They emitted their own light. And they didn’t float the same way as dust. Orbs in photos and videos don’t emit their own light, they’re reflecting light. That’s a big difference.

9. Apps

Not all ghost hunting apps are created equal. I suggest that you research apps before downloading them. Anything that’s sold as a “ghost radar” or “ghost detector”, you should look for something else. Some of the better ghost apps include EchoVox, which is an ITC tool. Personally, for me, I’m hesitant to use any apps since our phones aren’t equipped to detect and gauge the environment. Also, any app that lets you insert a photo of a ghost is a big NO.

10. Skeptics

When I say skeptics, I mean the paranormal community needs to stop the mindset that skeptics are bad. They aren’t. They’re fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some skeptics out there who are total jerks. But, that doesn’t mean that all skeptics are that way. There are many fantastic ones out there who are just as curious about the paranormal as the rest of us, and often, they are looking to have that experience. The difference is that skeptics are hardcore critical thinkers, and need something more solid. They hold the paranormal community accountable and they are a valued asset to the community.

11. Demons

Not everything is a demon. Sometimes it’s a really negative human spirit. Other times, it’s elemental. Sometimes it’s nothing at all. It’s interesting how those who don’t believe in demons don’t seem to have an issue with them. It’s all about mindset and what energy you’re putting out there.

12. Religion

There is more than one religion in the paranormal field, and they are all bring something of value to the table. To me, all religions are valid because it goes back to intention and mindset. I’ve seen cleansings and blessings tied with other religions that were just as effective as Christian methods. As I mentioned in the point about demons, it goes back to your intentions and your convictions. If you’re certain that a Christian method will work, it will.

13. Ouija Boards

I don’t understand the hate against Ouija boards. Yes, I know people associate them with demons. Yes, people have had negative experiences with it, but people have had negative experiences in other areas of their life that they keep going back to. Furthermore, I don’t understand the venom that comes from people who speak out against the Ouija board. We’re talking personal insults, and even lowkey paranormal drama. Do these folks not understand that their hatred of the board and attacking others is just as negative and evil as the Ouija board (or so they think)?

14. Celebrities Joining the Field

This is something I’ve always been fascinated with, especially after it was revealed that Stormy Daniels was working on her own ghost hunting show. So many people have had paranormal experiences, and it should be no surprise that celebrities have had them too. If they want to join the paranormal bandwagon, let them! The more the merrier. There is a lot of gatekeeping in the field, questioning experience and professionalism, It needs to stop. Especially when someone who isn’t famous shares similar life experiences as a celebrity, and they see their lifestyle and choices under attack as a reason to not be in the community.

15. Facebook Groups

I love Facebook groups. They are such a wonderful way to connect with other like-minded people. I can share my content and have amazing conversations with folks and get awesome perspectives. But, each Facebook group is like its own little universe, and some people think they’re gods in little ponds. There are millions of paranormal Facebook groups out there, and there should be a shift in focus to cultivating the community instead of trying to constantly grow numbers, competing for admin/mod status, and booting people over disagreements. It’s just Facebook, y’all.

VIDEO Interview: Keystone State Paranormal Talks Pet Spirits with Rob Gutro

 The Keystone State Paranormal group interviewed Rob Gutro, Author and medium on Oct 29, 2020 from the historic Harrison House in Columbus, Ohio, where they were also doing a paranormal investigation. Rob called into the show.

Jim of Keystone said: The spirits at the Harrison house for some reason were interfering with my ability to e-mail or post - but I wanted to thank Rob Gutro - our guest Thursday night - for a wonderful and informative show - I had comments from several of our audience - how emotional to them the show was and uplifting - great and enlightening information and tremendous stories - Rob has graciously agreed to be a return quest in the future - so we can expand on our information base on this subject that is near and dear to so many. Our audience had such great questions and inquiries and Rob thoroughly enjoyed himself as he touched so many. - Jim, Keystone State Paranormal

VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/btmS-6YPX6c

YouTube 2018 Interview: Edge of the Rabbit Hole : Ghosts of England with Rob Gutro

 This is my 2018  "Edge of the Rabbit Hole" Interview: Ghosts of England  with Rob Gutro

Mike Ricksecker and Vanessa Hogle's You Tube Paranormal show "Edge of the Rabbit Hole" welcomed back Author and Paranormal Investigator Rob Gutro to Edge of the Rabbit Hole! - It's based on my Amazon Paranormal book "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation."  
We discussed his experiences at the haunted Mineral Spring Hotel, the continuing conversation about ghosts in England, and of course, pets and the afterlife!  (the interview occurred on Sept. 11, 2018 at 9:30 p.m. EDT)

Video: https://youtu.be/NFdsgYEczlE 

Email from Jennie About her Cat Whom Passed

Recently on one of the blogs I wrote, a woman named Jennie wrote me in the public

comments section about her experience and feelings through the event of her cat's passing. Below is her note and my response, which may be helpful to some other pet parents. - Rob

JENNIE'S NOTE: October 3, 2020 at 7:18 PM 

   Hi Mr. Gutro,I'm Jennie.About 2 and a half weeks ago my cat became very ill and the vet said he was severely anemic and that a blood transfusion would only prolong his life by a few days before needing another one. I'm heart broken and feeling tremendous guilt. 

 For over a year I had spent very little time petting him or allowing him to snuggle with me. I was very stressed out and short tempered. I never hit him but raised my voice, sometimes yelled when he would come behind me and bang his head against the back of my knee while I was trying to fix his meals. 

 Well, I had him euthanized because I didn't want him to suffer. 

But I'm so angry at myself for treating him the way I did. I wish he knew how much I love him and that he was my little angel. 

 I received his ashes today and I will be keeping them close to me. I will talk to him. I hope he hears me. Thank you for listening ❤🌈 

MY RESPONSE: October 19, 2020 at 7:22 PM Hi Jennie- As parents, whether pet parents or human parents, it's normal to be agitated or irritated at behavior of our "kids." I'm so sorry for your loss. But please know that your cat knew what was going on with him, and the stress that you have been under. He read your stress and realized it wasn't from him - he was just there. 

He also read your energy, and knew that you struggled to make the decision to help him cross. 

He also knew that his little body couldn't handle another transfusion either. He doesn't want you to feel guilty. You are a great pet parent, and you're being thanked from him on the other side for caring enough to bring him to the vet. 

He can hear you. He's energy now, and sound and thoughts are energy. He will always be around you! 

I recommend reading one of my Pets and the Afterlife books to get an idea of what signs he may use to show you he's very much around.

Learn about the Haunted Old Yellow House and More in "Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking"

 A new book called "Case Files of Inspired Ghost Tracking," by best-selling paranormal author Rob Gutro takes readers on paranormal investigations into private and historic homes where ghosts were traumatizing families. 
   Learn about the Old Yellow House, a haunted childhood home of IGT founder Margaret Erhlich, and how the ghosts inspired her to form the paranormal team many years later that brought the team into many strange situations. 
   Rob, a medium in the Inspired Ghost Tracking paranormal group, announced the release of his seventh paranormal book that brings readers along on investigations and reveals some bizarre and shocking things the group found and how they helped the ghosts and families.     
TO BUY ON AMAZON: https://tinyurl.com/yba6ofbj

"When earthbound ghosts have traumatized families in their own homes, Inspired Ghost Tracking (IGT) of Maryland has gone in to cross them over," Gutro said. "Every case is different, too. Some have had earthbound ghosts that were friendly, others were not. IGT experienced a lot of bad energies that caused people to become physically sick or mentally traumatized. IGT investigators had to figure who, what, when and why things were happening, to finally bring peace to the living and the dead."  

In this collection of IGT cases, you’ll read about the "Burned Ghost," ghosts of two different time periods in one home, dark things that Ouija boards brought into homes, a very haunted Maryland mansion, many ghosts of Baltimore’s Federal Hill, a ghostly attachment, a Steelworker’s ghost, poltergeist activity, the famous IGT “Double Murder Ghost Investigation” and many more.

You'll find answers to questions like why ghosts choose to stay in a place, the differences and similarities between ghosts and spirits, why energy is the key to the paranormal and much more.

Although Rob has become known as a "Pet Medium" through the success of his best-selling books "Pets and the Afterlife" and "Pets and the Afterlife 2," he also connects with human earthbound ghosts and spirits.

Gutro is the first in the paranormal field to make the distinction between earthbound ghosts and spirits who have crossed over. Rob has three books about his experience with human ghosts and spirits, called "Ghosts and Spirits," "Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead," and "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation," and most recently, "Kindred Spirits: How a Medium Befriended a Spirit."   

Rob Gutro has been featured in the Washington Post and nationally syndicated radio programs like "Coast to Coast AM." Rob is a volunteer with Dachshund and Weimaraner rescues and gives fundraising lectures for animal rescues around the U.S., teaching grieving pet parents how pets communicate from the afterlife.   

Website: www.robgutro.com, www.petspirits.com

Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/ghostsandspirits.insightsfromamedium

www.facebook.com/RobGutroAuthorMedium

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RobGutroAuthor

Amazon Author Page: amazon.com/author/robgutro 

YouTube:   https://tinyurl.com/wcvhqbt

Paranormal Q and A: How Do you answer requests for Investigating Houses for Paranormal Activity?

Inspired Ghost Tracking core investigators

Each week, I'll answer a question about the paranormal, whether a general question, or one about human or animal ghosts (Earthbound) or spirits (crossed over). Here's this week's question:

QUESTION: How Do you answer requests for Investigating Houses for Paranormal Activity? 

ANSWER: I'm a member of the Inspired Ghost Tracking Group from Hanover, Maryland. Whenever people suspect a haunting, that is, an active (Intelligent) ghost in their home, they contact the IGT group through their website. They answer extensive questionnaires and then the manager sets up a phone call and if she thinks it warrants, a paranormal investigation happens.

 During investigations, I work with another medium or two, and tech people on the paranormal group to investigate what may be paranormal problems in private residences. If we can't debunk what's happening, we consider it paranormal. Since I'm a meteorologist I can debunk atmospheric issues, and we have an architect on staff who can debunk house-settling noises, We have dealt with many actual Earth-bound ghosts, and some poltergeists (mental activity that simulates a ghost, caused by a teenager going through hormonal changes).

 - We always cross the ghost over to the other side. I'm never nervous, but sometimes concerned if I know that someone was using a Ouija board - because those can open doorways to bad people in spirit!

 For Rob Gutro's 7 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.

Check out my friend John's Travel Blog for Ghosts and History

If you love travel, enjoy learning about places to visit around the world (especially so you can plan to go after the pandemic), and you like haunted places, you can find all of those things in my friend John's Blog called' Travel with Ackbar." 

 John and I have been friends for about 40 years since we were teenagers and he's worked at Disney for decades. He's artistic and has an eye for photography. He's combined those passions with his love for travel, history and the paranormal (not everything on the blog is about ghosts, however, the history and photos are awesome!) . You'll want to make his blog a favorite: https://travelswithackbar.com/ 

    Here's a snippet from his latest post

Travels With Ackbar

Nerdy Adventures Around The World

: 

Spectral Cats and Dogs

Near The Tower of London, All Hallow’s Church shared in the bloody history of it’s neighbors. Legend states that the beheaded victims of Tower executions were sent there for temporary burial. Among it’s happier memories are the baptism of William Penn and the marriage of John Quincy Adams. Being so close to The Tower of London, one may expect All Hallow’s to have it’s share of headless spirits. This is a different kind of ghost story.

In 1920, the choir noticed a grey haired old lady in old fashioned dress watching them as they practiced Christmas Carols. The choirmaster was surprised to see the woman as he had locked the church’s door. Once they choir rehearsal had ended, the mysterious woman had vanished. The boys heard a strange sound “as if a cat was in the building and was trying to get out.” One of the boys shouted to the choirmaster, ‘There it is sir! I saw a cat rush out of the room and go down towards the south aisle!’ The group searched the aisles for the cat and found nothing, even noting that the front doors were still locked. Several years later, an old man approached the choirmaster. He explained that he thought he knew who the mysterious woman was. As a choirboy at that very church almost 60 years prior, there was an eccentric lady organist with a strong passion for cats. He told him that cats would follow the woman everywhere and she would pay him to help feed the cats.

The Atheneum Club, The Traveler’s Club and The Reform Club are located off of Pall Mall. On our last night in London, we took part in a ghost tour. As we stood in front of these old men only clubs once frequented by the likes of Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Alfred, Lord Tennyson, we listened to the story of a phantom dog that caused car accidents. It has been reported that several accidents were caused when a small dog ran out in front of one of the drivers. No sooner than the end of this tale, two cars next to us got into a fender bender.

Tucked away in this square lies the grave of a German Shepherd named Giro. Giro was the companion of the German Ambassador who resided in the area. It is considered the only Nazi memorial in the UK and in recent years there has been discussion of removing it. Could Giro be running around the Mall after dark just trying to be a real dog?

You can read more about Giro and his master here…

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/london-s-hidden-memorial-to-a-nazi-dog

For more information on pets in the afterlife check out my friend Rob’s books…

http://ghostsandspiritsinsights.blogspot.com/

In the News: Ghost hunters capture 'chilling' images of England's 'lost queen'

 Here's an article that appeared in Sept 2020 from the United Kingdom's Lincolnshire Live newspaper about a paranormal group's encounter with a famous ghost.   I also had the pleasure of visiting the UK and you can read about my encounters with the ghosts there in my book "Ghosts of England on a Medium's Vacation," available on Amazon.   Here's this week's haunting:  

 Ghost hunters capture 'chilling' images of England's 'lost queen' 

 A group of ghost hunters claim they have managed to capture photographs of what they believe is the spirit of one of history's lost monarchs. The Retford Ghost Hunters claim to have captured one of their members coming face-to-face with a chilling apparition at the historic Rufford Abbey in Sherwood Forest..  

The group believe they encountered the renowned White Lady of Rufford who, according to legend, is believed to be the spirit of ill-fated Arbella Stuart. Arabella was tipped to take the throne before she found herself at the centre of a political wrangling which saw her banished to the Tower of London. The great, great granddaughter of Henry VII and the niece of Mary Queen of Scots' eventually died of starvation in 1615.

(Photo: The "White Lady of Rufford" appears to be standing face to face with Rachel (Image: © Retford Ghost Hunters / SWNS)

 The ghostly figure was captured during a ghost hunt which was streamed on Facebook Live. The "White Lady of Rufford" appears to be standing face to face with Rachel (Image: © Retford Ghost Hunters / SWNS) Group leader Rachel Parsons said: "I couldn't believe it when I looked up the history of the place the next day. "The first thing that came up was the White Lady Of Rufford. She's been spotted there quite a few times by all accounts.

It was about 11pm inside the ruins when we all heard a woman's cough so I ran towards the direction of it with my torch.

"I then sensed something on the spot where I was and I said to the others: 'She's standing right in front of me'.

At that point I told our viewers watching the live stream on Facebook to get screenshotting because I knew she was there. "It was only when we got back home and a viewer sent the screen grab that I discovered how close I was to her. "People have said it looks like a horror movie poster but I was just delighted to get such compelling evidence of what could be the famous White Lady of Rufford." 

The 48-year old said she only until she researched the history of the 12th century abbey that she uncovered the story of it being haunted by the White Lady of Rufford. But the White Lady wasn't the only ghostly spectre captured that night; spooky images showing a face at a doorway where also captured, which the ghost hunters believe could be the spirit of one of the monks who resided at the abbey.

(Photo: Lady Arabella Stuart, also known as Arbella. (Image: SWNS))

SOURCE: https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/retford-ghost-white-lady-rufford-4542744

Paranormal Q and A: What are some common ways a spirit would try to contact a loved one?

Each week, I'll answer a question about the paranormal, whether a general question, or one
about human or animal ghosts (Earthbound) or spirits (crossed over). Here's this week's question:

QUESTION: What are some common ways a spirit would try to contact a loved one?

 ANSWER: Some common ways that spirits communicate with us involve using things around us. Coins are a common item because they require little energy for spirits to use. Whenever you find a coin, look at the year and that will give you a clue as to whom may be trying to let you know they're around. Other things include feathers, flowers, influencing birds, butterflies or other insects to behave oddly around you (that correspond with a birthday, anniversary or holiday). You may also see someone that looks like the person or pet in spirit.. I provide many more examples in my books "Ghosts and Spirits" and Lessons Learned from Talking to the Dead" for human spirits; and "Pets and the Afterlife" and Pets...2 for signs from pets!


For Rob Gutro's 7 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.