Karmic Result!

 This was my logo for a fruit tree planting charity I had before I setup The Phantom Planter.

Thanks to a very good friend who helped put this logo together with me, you know who you are! 

Must be 10 years now from I've been on this planting and chanting journey.

At first me and my mate just planted some apple trees in our estate for a laugh. I got the idea from my son when he was a child, we were driving down the road one day and he said why dont they have food growing all around the streets so people can have free food!

It always did stick in my head all them years ago as to why we didnt have free food everywhere.

One day me and my mate for a laugh went and bought some apple trees to plant in the green spaces near our houses. We planted one out my front where I grew up and one near my mates house.

I remember back then people would be saying, you might get in trouble for doing this!!

Are you sure your allowed to be doing that!! People would be saying. 

To be honest 10 years ago I was in the thick of the underworld risking my life and freedom daily trying to get my egotistical ratrace status back after years of a downward spiral loosing everything.

Back then the thought of getting into trouble for some fruit tree planting entertained me.

But these apple trees we planted changed my life. For the next couple of years these trees thrived in the hood. They produced loads of apple and me and my son always went back to eat them.

Both these tree are still growing to this day 10 years later!

One being absolutely massive and gives out hundreds of apples every year!

A couple of years after planting these trees I stumbled across a Buddhist monastery drunk at a very low point in life.

I stayed with the monks and learned what they do.

I read they have this practice called Karma Yoga.

The way I understood this was, that it's a selfless service practice for the benefit of all life without seeking anything in return.

And when we do such things it has the power to purify our own negative karma and make life better.

Back then things couldnt have been worse for me and I thought what have I got to loose!

As I seen how well these apple trees we planted were doing I thought this will be my karma yoga practice. 

I'm going to set aside some of the money I was spending on drink and drugs, go and buy fruit trees and randomly plant them all around the city with pure intentions to help the community and nature.

I then seen how well the trees were doing and decided to try and set up a charity. This was the worst thing for me to do. It stole all my positive intentions and built walls around my mind. I find it really hard dealing with red tape and authorities. They boggle my mind with they're often constipated approach to simple things like planting fruit trees. I had my mind blown away with some of the things they were coming off with. Some made me think I could potentially be planting an ecological bomb. 

I said to one official,  I'm buying my trees from a garden centre up the road. I haven't smuggled them in from Pablo in Colombia or anything!

Anyhow much of what they said back then was nonsense, all these years later I've learned much about nature and ecology, learning by doing and observing.

I gave up on the charity and went phantom. I was thinking more so what could benefit nature more.

People who gave me money to plant trees would never plant one themselves and I could only ever plant so many and nature needs millions of these! 

But if I try and make tree planting cool and lucrative and challenge everyone else to phantom plant well my karma yoga practice can be even more value for money. 

This is bound to boost my merit bank account more is what I was thinking and grab the attention of them Buddhas up in the other realms alright!

Live I'm a way that the divine find you. The world needs this. 

I also dont believe we will ever help nature and the community fully unless we all do our bit and by doing your bit you'll be feeling great also. Nothing is better than a life of purpose and meaning.

Following the Buddhas teachings has been a karmic result for me. The cosmos has revealed so much magic and mysticism from I started this planting and chanting.

Everything is interconnected and interdependent. When our thoughts and actions are pure and for the benefit of everything the creation starts to work with you. You are becoming it.

Just my thoughts guys...

All my morning posts are part of my practice, right thoughts, right speech, right intentions. My life is my spiritual journey now and it begins from I open my eyes. 

I challenge you to phantom plant a tree! 

Peace and love...