My first phantom planted apple tree!

 Was down yesterday visiting one of the first apple trees I ever phantom planted around 11 years ago.

Check out the size of this beauty growing away like a champion by the side of the road in Belfast.

Every year from I planted this it has never failed to give an abundance of tasty apples. This was also my first ever phantom planted tree that I could climb and do pullups on. For years I always said that I cant wait for the day that I can climb and train on a tree that I've phantom planted!

This is a discovery apple variety and it has really thrived from day 1.

It was a potted tree planted in the middle of the summer. At the time of planting a national trust worker said that the tree would not survive as its the wrong time of year to be planting. Something wasn't computing with me then and I didnt believe him, even though he looked and sounded like Mr Green fingers, my gut was telling me different. 

I couldn't see how it wouldn't survive if I was going to go back to water and looking after it.

I knew nothing about trees back then, all I knew was to plant it the right way up!

Fast forward 11 years and nothing has really changed in the way that I plant trees. Still I dig a hole and make sure its the right way up. If its a potted tree planted it will need watered every week or so during the summer for the first couple of years. After that it can survive on its own.

This apple tree changed how I think about life, it made me see a different type of joy to be had in life rather than the self gratifying passing pleasures thats sold to us daily.

The joy of watching others eat apples from your little piece of environmental graffiti was a feeling I never had before. Then when I watched birds sit on a branch pecking into an apple I thought, you have that one on me mate.

It was about 3 years after planting this tree that I stumbled across Buddhism. The more I studied Buddhism the more I thought about this tree. The Buddha says the first step out of the cycle of suffering is good deeds and generosity. I thought back to this tree, this was a good deed I did back then. It was a growing good deed. I mean you give money to a charity and thats good but it stops there. They talk a lot in Buddhism about merit making and me being me coming from a wheeling and dealing background I wanted the best value for money merit maker there is. This one apple tree is still today earning me spiritual merit. Every insect, bird and human that enjoys this tree is in my opinion adding to my merit bank account.

Maybe this all seems a bit woo woo to some and hard to believe. But its my Belfast Buddhahood thoughts on this. 

Back then when I planted this tree I was right in thick of the underworld, caught between the hungry ghost and hell realms as they call in Buddhist cosmology. So self absorbed and riddled with demons.

Today I have the mental space and capacity to offer to the world. I still have a few demons to deal with but they dont control my entire existence anymore. When we are in the thick of these dark craving realms there is no space to contribute anything.

Most days I say my prayers of gratitude to the Buddha and Mother nature. It saved my life. Otherwise I know I would be dead or have ended up like one of them fat bald antique collectors with an eye piece dodging coffins on a daily basis.

Then something else magical happened on this tree which I should have taken a pic yesterday. 4/5 years ago I was on the hunt for some mistletoe. I have never seen mistletoe anywhere in Northern Ireland before and hear that its very rare here. But this year I was looking everywhere to see if I could spot some and then I went to visit this first apple tree I ever phantom planted and there was some small twigs of mistletoe growing on the tree!

I couldn't believe, I was thinking this is a gift from the fairies here alright! 

A little message from the Tuatha De Dannan just to say your on the right path Phantom Planter!

To serve nature and follow the teachings of the Buddha as best I can is my life now. I'm not sure I'll ever want to attain Nirvana though, I much prefer being the Buddha and mother natures wheeling and dealing promoter!

Thats the thing about Buddhism, you can take the teachings as far as you want, to all the heavenly realms and more.

I challenge you all to phantom plant a tree guys. 

Peace and love 

The Phantom Planter and Wee Betty