The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Herbs, and New Age Elements: An A to Z Guide to New Age Elements and How to Use Them - Adams Media 2016

The Power of Fire and Light

It’s difficult to overstate the impact of fire on human life. From light and heat to cooking and cultural traditions, fire plays a central role in almost everything we do. In fact, some believe that it is the use of fire that actually makes us human. Several years ago, the British primatologist Richard Wrangham proposed his “cooking hypothesis” to explain our evolution from bipedal apes into modern human beings. His hypothesis states that the use of fire is responsible for the relatively speedy development of Homo erectus, which emerged just 500,000 years after Homo habilis, the first creature generally considered to be human. Wrangham argues that once our predecessors started cooking food, it sped up the process of evolution, leading to smaller teeth, a smaller digestive tract, and a larger brain.

Archaeologists have not yet discovered evidence that proves Wrangham’s hypothesis, but they recently came closer than ever before. In 2012, a team of archaeologists discovered traces of a million-year-old campfire in South Africa’s Wonderwerk Cave. Prior to this, the earliest evidence of human-controlled fire was a series of hearths found in Israel dating to between 690,000 and 790,000 years ago.

Regardless of whether the use of fire directly contributed to the development of human beings as they exist today, there is no doubt that fire is one of the most important elements in our lives. In this chapter, you’ll discover various ways of harnessing fire and light to benefit your mind, body, and spirit.