Poem: "The Gods of Sheep and Machines"

Not only do the gods make the rules, they also supply the power -- that's the key different between priests and wizards. Hence the vital importance of making sure that priest and deity want the same things, in a magical setting.

Though it carries over here too. The Christians have an appallingly low percentage of clergy who can actually do the magic they're supposed to be doing. Most of them have no charge at all. I suspect some of them just don't think of it as anything more than a pretty story, but I'll bet they lose another big chunk to people who believe it but are pulling in the wrong direction so it doesn't work for them. The ones who can really do it, they tend to stand out. A few of them are capable of raising quite a lot of power.

I think it's important to have both secular and spiritual options for such things. Some people do better with one, some with the other. Mystery dwells at the bottom of all things, though; it's just a matter of going far enough to find it.

Well, that's their choice. I'm not inclined to drag them along where they don't want to go, unless they mean me harm. But it's never stopped me from going on my own, nor from bringing back bits of wonder with me.

Ah, so. Sometimes we wish better of those near to us, than they are ready to deliver. That is always disappointing. For me, it is my nature to run and find out. I cannot be around people who try to hold me back. I may regret leaving some of them, but I can't be something I'm not.

Sometimes, that's what does the least damage.