can often be done by fasting or through deep meditation in a quiet temple. These traditional Buddhist practices offer a starkly different way of achieving religious consciousness. Amongst the individual villages, religious beliefs also vary greatly. Although there are the thirty-seven main nats that are commonly and communally worshiped, there are also many local nats, differing in every village. To add on to this, the idea that after death one may become a nat also implies that there are many nats that can be worshiped. For some villages nats are in nearly everything. They can be any ancestors, in nature, found guarding objects etc. For others nats are less prominent, but still play some role in the village society. A particularly strong sense of folk faith is found in the tribal parts of Myanmar. In this instance, there is not some type of divine being, and folk religion is practised entirely separately from Buddhism. In these tribal societies all nats are traditionally viewed as harmful, unlike in other villages where nats are invited to partake in festivals. Instead of adorning these nats with offerings and food, the most effort is put into fending evil spirits off. These tribes just merely want to be left alone, undisturbed by the malicious spirits. Folk beliefs and practices Various forms of folk practices are held in Myanmar today, often with folk religious roots. As mentioned earlier though, it is difficult to determine to what extent these beliefs and traditions are practised, because every village has slightly different beliefs and practices. Their astrology, thought to be descended from Indian religious beliefs, is present in Myanmar. With this astrology, comes the practice of divination and horoscopes. There are also several different folk methods that are thought to keep away troublesome nats or evil spirits. These include wearing amulets or tattoos, which were said to keep the spirits away. This was also seen in the form of various people, who are believed to have magical powers or the ability to interact with spirits. These include alchemists, healers, sorcerers and exorcists. These exorcists, or ahletan hsaya, are said to possess powers that can fend away or challenge these evil demons. These exorcists were often seen as very holy, because they had to be to combat troublesome spirits. They attempt exorcisms by giving the nat offerings. As an interesting overlap with Buddhism, exorcisms can be performed by holding the