The True Gods created and are embodied in nature and the Earth. They are offended by that which is deemed unnatural, including domestication of plants and animals, construction of civilizations, etc. Since the beginning of civilization, our ancestors have made offerings to the True Gods, in order to placate Their wrath for our sins against Them and against nature. And before that, we celebrated the True Gods and revelled in Their glory.
Humans, created by the True Gods, have our purpose encoded into our DNA. The Sanatan Dharma is itself eternal in that specific traditions may arise from and disappear back into the dust, and yet the spirit of the thing itself is always reincarnated in these traditions.
We accept the original holy texts of mankind as Gospel Truth, yet acknowledge that most have been altered to different degrees throughout the ages. As such, devotees are encouraged to learn about and even practice paths and read texts other than our own, but are reminded to beware of such alterations.
There are unholy spirits filled with enmity for the True Gods. Throughout the ages, they have induced mankind to forget our Dharma, and to turn away from our worship of the True Gods and our completion of our purpose. Indeed, during the Ignorant Aeons, the masses forget the True Gods, worshiping them only nominally, and actually serving lesser entities.
Suppose you are a fan of your local sports team. Would you, then, give your time and money to their rival team instead? This is indeed the state of the masses during the Ignorant Ages. During these ages, mankind's ability of True Sight is dampened, and fewer are able to attain Sight/Awareness of the True Gods, and therefore we turn away from Them, instead to be influenced by Their enemies.
Your path is yours alone to walk. No other can walk it for you, nor can you walk another's path. All proper paths lead to the True Gods and to our attainment of our ingrained purpose. Devotees of the Left-Hand Path and Right-Hand Path are on their way to attain Sight of the True Gods. They are alike in that they have had a Calling and are now walking a path. The unfortunate masses, not having such a Calling, do not walk any path in practice, and more and more often do not walk any path in theory, either.
Members of the congregation are purposeful, rather than accidental, as automatic initiation is forbidden. The True Gods abhor that which is taken and not given freely. Devotees are often solitary in nature, seeking congregation for practical reasons rather than because of social conditioning. They regard each other with respect, realizing that each one is there due to some rare form of Calling--indeed being Called by the True Gods Themselves.
The Calling is the basic spiritual attainment for any devotee. Having a deep desire and inexplicable drive toward the spiritual, subtle and even supernatural is a seed of a beautiful Tree, planted by the True Gods in the heart and mind of the devotee. This desire is itself to be desired, and is the result of the accumulation of good karma for many lifetimes.
Devotees author their own "holy texts," taking notes during their studies, recording their experiences, etc. Having attained a high level of mastery such as the priesthood, a devotee's personal holy text becomes holy to the congregation, since it must surely contain the wisdom necessary for spiritual attainment. Especially so, since the devotee's notes will presumably now be influenced by personal insights of a profound and spiritual nature.
The priests--even rival priests--regard each other with a deep level of respect, knowing that each one has some form of deep connection with the universe and with the True Gods, as demonstrated by the trial of fifth level initiation. Nevertheless, this is a relatively low level of initation and attainment. The priests are themselves devotees and acolytes of an elusive higher class of initiates.