Richard Smoley is one of the world's leading authorities on the mystical and esoteric teachings of Western civilization. He holds a bachelor's degree magna cum laude in classics from Harvard and a BA and MA from the Honour School of Literae Humaniores (classics and philosophy) at the University of Oxford. Richard served for eight years as editor of Gnosis: A Journal of the Western Inner Traditions. He is the author of six books. Currently he is executive editor of Quest, the members' journal for the Theosophical Society in America. In addition, he is editor of Quest Books, a publisher of books on spirituality and esotericism operated by the Theosophical Society. His website is www.innerchristianity.com.

In this fascinating book, Richard Smoley examines the roles God has played for us and reconciles them with what we today know through science and reason. In the process, he shows that consciousness is the underlying reality beneath everything in the universe.
In one of Hinduism's great myths, Shiva plays a dice game with his consort, Parvati, and loses consistently. If he is the greatest god, why does he lose? Through this story, Richard Smoley explores the interplay between consciousness, represented by Shiva, and experience, exemplified by Parvati. He draws on numerous disciplines to offer an illuminating exploration of mind and matter and a provocative understanding of consciousness, the self, and the world.