Asked the student: "Wise man, why don't we worship our Creator the same way Christians, Jews and Muslims do?"

Retorted the teacher: "Why should we worship our Creator?"

Said the student: "For the same reason the Christians, Jews, and Muslims worship theirs?"

Asked the teacher: "Wouldn't you think our belief about our Creator differs greatly from that of other religions?"

Sumarized the student: "We all believe in a Creator, we all believe them to be present in our current universe."

Pointed out the teacher: "Don't they also believe their Creator is a living being, separate from the universe but a part of it at times, able to react to it, to influence it? And since they believe their Creator created the universe for their benefit, don't they also believe their Creator listens to them and answers their prayer? Apart from that, don't they believe worship will get them a better place in the hereafter?"

Said the student: "Possibly..."

Continued the teacher: "And we don't. To us, the Creator sacrificed their singularity, their own life so to speak, to spawn life in our universe. Divine energy became a part of everything. The universe already knows what we think, because we are part of it and it is part of us. That however doesn't mean we frown upon worship. It can be quite useful."

Asked the student: "How so, wise man? If our Creator doesn't pay attention, who is there to worship?"

Explained the teacher: "The local deities. Those who yield a larger influence than other beings."

Asked the student: "They do pay attention, and can be persuaded to be kind given the right worship?"

Said the teacher: "Personally I like to perform my own duties instead of asking a deity for help. Practice has shown however, that not all in our path feel the same, and some deities do offer a helping hand when asked nicely."

Pursued the student: "Then why is it that you don't like to ask a deity for help?"

Retorted the teacher: "If you were a deity, asked to help someone, wouldn't you want something in return?"

Asked the student: "Wise man, I hear other people talk about seeing ghosts and elves, and about objects and animals being taken over by demons, and I read about angels and dragons. I haven't seen any working in our path directing its energy towards any of them, nor using any of them as an aid. Does our path acknowledge those beings?"

Answered the teacher: "We call them 'ethereal': having energy for substance, necessarily emanating primarily in the mind's eye. We do have some workings pertaining to deflecting demons and other evil influences, but generally see no cause for worship."

Continued the student: "Energy for substance? Then how can we see them? Our senses aren't equipped to detecting energy. What do you mean by 'emanating in the mind's eye'?"

Asked the teacher: "How is it you think we cannot detect energy? Though some animals are better at it, for instance sharks find us in the water by detecting our energy emissions, don't we too sense basic shapes of energy, like electricity, light, sound, and matter?"

Said the student: "Still you made an exception for ethereal beings."

Explained the teacher: "Yes I did. We believe their substance so fleeting, that we have a hard time detecting them with any other sense than our mind. The physical senses will help minutiously, though none of them by themselves will paint the full picture. For that, we need our mind. It's a skill for which most of us will also need training and practice, though some do it naturally."

Asked the student: "So where do those beings come from? Do they procreate like animals and people?"

Answered the teacher: "We don't know. Some might, some might not procreate. We believe that all beings follow a pattern of reincarnation, alternating between soul and bodily existence, and these ethereal beings are merely another form of incarnation."

Continued the student: "And as such they are no more and no less then us, meaning worship isn't necessary. Still we believe they can hurt us and help us, if they choose so or are persuaded."

Said the teacher: "That is correct. Unlike animals and humans, which can be deflected by physical means, if ethereal beings have to be deflected the best means will probably prove non-physical."

Pursued the student: "And by non-physical means, you indicate energy shields and spells and such?"

Retorted the teacher: "You could try ignoring them...", and left the student to ponder.