Peter T. - Here's another possible use for candles at dinner, even in the absence of a beautiful woman on the other side of the table. Suppose that there are maybe spiritual presences around us...such as...guardian angels, devas, spirits of the departed, and numerous other friendly presences. They might appreciate the gesture while spending dinner with you. You could even try talking to them about it a little. Don't do it while "normal" people are around though, or they may think you're crazy! IMO you have to be somewhat crazy to be considered "normal" in the present conventional system of things...which knows a lot about a little and not much about the rest.

Then too, God is present, right? Unless you think God is Bill Gates or Madonna, in which case, probably not. Whatever the case, you are NOT alone (as far as I'm concerned).

Now, to take it further than that...suppose that everything, even inanimate objects is/are invested by conscious spiritual energy. Then, your apartment/dwelling place might appreciate the gesture and feel a little warmer for it. The candles might appreciate being honoured by being used for such a gesture, which is one of their purposes, instead of just having to wait for the next hurricane.

There are all kinds of other possibilities...

I realize you may believe in none of these things, but they are possibilities, nonetheless, because the world is full of things that various people neither believe in nor have any conscious awareness of, and it's always been that way and always will be. It's full of things I have no awareness of too, and that keeps me intrigued as to what I may discover next...

There are probably at least a thousand viable reasons for having a candlelit dinner (or other occasion) quite apart from wooing the lady of your choice.

That's just a cultural cliche, which is why it's so totally obvious. Kind of like counting down to midnight at New Year's...a totally arbitrary action which has been invested with great meaning by millions of drunken people for longer than I would care to remember.

Pick your chosen belief. It's true for you as long as you think it is....and blasphemy? That's just in the mind of the beholder. In truth there is no blasphemy. There is only further experience.

:-)

- LH