From candles on the dinner table to the chandelier above it

From gathering around the fire, to the fire on the table, to the light above it and what that did and where do we go next.

Gathering around the fire

The chill of the night, forgotten, the closeness of others, embraced, the loving hand of a forgiving universe present in the darkness of the sky. We can only imagine what our ancestors felt as we crave to relive it when we can. The fire rituals of our modern trips in the wilderness are the closest we’ll ever get to where we started.

Image courtesy of Courtnie Tosana via Unsplash

Fire on the table

Perhaps one of the most enduring traditions, will this ever go out of style? Candles reinvent themselves as technology progresses, yet their presence is as constant in our lives as the daily meals themselves.

Image courtesy of Nadia Valko via Unsplash

The light above it

When the dinner light source lifted itself up from the surface of tables to the underside of ceilings, the rooms started to partake in the beautiful ritual of feasting. With them, instead of hovering the light source, our bodies started to glow and let themselves be enveloped in its warmth golden tones. This was by far one of the biggest spatial reinventions of nighttime.

Image courtesy of Miguela Alcantara via Unsplash

Where do we go next – light therapy and the cure of sadness

As lights are now smaller and smaller, they’ve gotten to a point where surfaces themselves, bodies themselves can possibly be illuminated from within. Will we ever glow like E.T. when we’re happy and dusk away when sad? Or will light as it enters us, minuscule particles flowing through our veins, under our skin, have the power to keep us always happy?