“LOVE is the link between the physical and spiritual world; suddenly, I feel both exposed and free, realizing there is no place to hide my actions good or bad in the universe. I think, If I hurt myself, I hurt everything connected to me. But if I love, the light will spread. I don’t feel afraid or lonely here because I’m connected to everything. How can I be alone when I’m part of everything? Loneliness is just an illusion." ― Rob A. Gentile, Quarks of Light

Rob A. Gentile is the son of Italian immigrants. His father worked in a steel-mill, and so Gentile grew up in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Gentile has spent his career as a sales engineer in the steel industry while married to his wife, Melanie, for over 30 years. Together, they have devoted themselves to their special needs daughter, Maria, who is in her twenties, and whom Rob refers to as “pure spirit.” Throughout her childhood, he grappled with difficult questions about prayer and why children must suffer. Answers came in a sudden and unexpected way—at age 56 he had a massive heart attack, then flatlined, and had a near-death experience (NDE). On his journey to heart transplant, he was close to death again and entered the Ethereal a second time. He found himself inside a shapeless, formless vacuum of unending and infinite vastness. He was everywhere at once, scattered across a timeless expanse and connected to the wisdom of the universe—all of it without words. Self-discovery and spiritual awakening continued while waiting to receive a donor heart. He saw and simultaneously became part of a gigantic interactive web of twinkling lights covering the Earth and stretching into infinity. He later came to believe that this web represents a network that binds us all and is built upon quarks—the smallest elements of matter, and which are made of light. While in the Ethereal, he understood that each quark of light symbolized a life. He realized that if he hurt himself, he hurt everything connected to him, but if he loved, the light would spread. Rob also saw his daughter with special needs, perfect, whole, and radiant. The most important message he received was of unity, oneness, and our real identity. In his first book Quarks of Light, Rob shares his journey and provides a roadmap for overcoming adversity, staying in spirit, and connecting to the Universal language of love and light. Contact Rob at robagentile.com. Connect with Rob on: