As I write this, I sit snuggled up on my sofa, feeling complete peace and ease in every ounce of my body. The room is black, besides two candles that flicker in front of me. It is 8:18 PM, and the power was turned off just an hour ago for electrical repairs. It won't be back on until the morning.

An hour of Ugh, I can’t do anything! turns to, Wait, I get to do nothing?

My nervous system sinks down into a deep, lush state of recovery and healing. Perched on the second floor of my 1912 home, I stare at the tree branches waving outside my window. I hear only their sounds and feel only their temperature. We share the same dark light.

Nature slows down, and so do I.

Nature is quiet, and so am I.

Nature dim its lights, and so can I.

The hyperactivity that I usually face in the evening fades into nothingness. I match the genius of nature, a genius, stressless, self-healing machine. I feel peace.

The Rules of Healthy Lighting

This evening showcases a key tenant of any harmonious space, healthy lighting. If you have an empty room with nothing but light to work with, you have more than enough! The key to mastering lighting is simple. There is one principle, one mastermind, and reference above all: the sun.

If you align your interior forces with those of nature, you have a fail-proof recipe for a nourishing, life-giving space. Now, let's talk about exactly how this relates.

1. Match The Horizon

The sun has a masterful arc, whose heights indicate different levels of energy within the day. It starts soft and low to the horizon. As the day progresses, and the energy peaks in the afternoon, the sun lifts to the highest point in the sky. At this time, many of our spaces are sufficiently lit without the need artificial lights.

But if we need a boost, go ahead and turn on those overhead ceiling lights. These are often our highest light source, which compliment the sun’s natural positioning mid-day.

As soon as the sun begins to go down, our artificial lights want to similarly lower within our interior space. Pretend each room is a mini earth, with its own horizon.

This is when the beauty of decorative light layers come in. We can shift to chandeliers, pendants, wall sconces, floor lamps, and low table lights as the night progresses. Dimmable switches are also a great solution for easy light control. 

Although the invention of the light bulb has accelerated our society insurmountably, it has also deepened our separation from nature. If we look back to our cavemen days, when the sun went down, we burned candles at eye level or lit bonfires on the ground. Our sources of light shifted down within our world.

Although it is safe to say that we are no longer caveman, we innately crave this harmony with nature. When the sun goes down, try your best to evoke these lower levels.

2. Make it Warm

Continuing to use nature as our roadmap, we'll want interior light hues to match those of our natural sources: sun and fire. These both convey beautiful warmth, with changes in their intensity and color throughout the day.

Morning warmth triggers a release of serotonin, our natural anti-depressant. Evening warmth triggers release of melatonin, our natural sleeper and relaxer. At the height of the afternoon, it is intuitive for interior lighting to embrace cooler, bright white hues.

Generally speaking, I prefer for warm-toned bulbs, anywhere from 2000k-2700k. New bulbs come with switches that allow you to personalize a single light into any hue.

Many argue that Halogen bulbs are the best (healthiest) option. You might try these for decorative lamps, and limit LED bulbs to recessed ceiling lights. All LED lights have a flicker, however invisible to the naked eye. If you deal with headaches or eye-strain, this might be a source of your body's imbalance and worth exploring.

Choose decorative fixtures with opaque glass or lampshades made out of natural textiles to further soften the light. I love a Himalayan pink salt lamp in the evening to bring a fire-like glow. Red lights are also a powerful way to signal the production of melatonin in the evening and encourage your body into a deep sleep state.

All color initiates a change in mood, but light has a special effect. Colored light raises you up into a mood, whereas colored pigment presses you down into a mood. Imagine a room bathed in yellow light, versus a room painted in yellow, adorned with yellow furniture. Play with different light colorations to shift the emotional quality of space.

Take a look at these rooms dressed in yellow pigment:

Now compare them to these rooms dressed in yellow light:

The sensation is quite different, right? We feel spaces more than we see them. Light is a powerful way to evoke feeling in a room.

3. Use Living Lights

Healthy spaces are alive, vibrating at the same energy as a breathing being. Growth and other essential hormones are controlled by the Pituitary, Pineal, and Hypothalamus glands. These glands are stimulated specifically by rhythmical living light. Surrounding yourself with living lights is going to activate healing within your body.

In one sense, this relates to fluctuating daylight. Think of how light pours into a space, intersecting from multiple windows, and creating different shadow patterns throughout the day. Natural light is never stagnant.

In another sense, "living" light relates to the sweet quiver of a candle light. Seeing the living flame of a candle or fire is one of the healthiest visions of light, connecting us back to our natural origins. 

Closing Thoughts

When my power cut out the other night, I was reminded of the tremendous healing that comes when we align with the rhythms of nature. This post explains that it is not about quantity of light, but quality. The highest quality will always be closest resemblant of nature. We return to perfection when we restore this connection.