World Listening Day, observed every year on July 18th, is more than just a date on the calendar. It is a global celebration that honors the subtle art of listening — to nature, to people, to stories, and to the sounds that shape our experiences. Initiated by the World Listening Project in honor of Canadian composer and acoustic ecologist R. Murray Schafer’s birthday, this day invites us to slow down, become present, and tune into the world’s symphony.
In an age dominated by digital noise and visual overload, World Listening Day urges us to rediscover the lost beauty of sound. Whether it’s the rustling of leaves in a forest, the soft patter of rain on a windowsill, or the hushed breath of a loved one sharing a story, these moments of auditory presence enrich our lives.
But how do we deepen that listening? How can we truly honor silence and sound in our modern routines? One unexpected but powerful way is through the multi-sensory ritual of lighting a candle. When paired with intentional listening, fragrance becomes more than a pleasant aroma — it becomes a gateway to mindfulness.
At Aarka Origins, this fusion of scent and sensory memory is at the core of everything we do. Our curated line of eco-luxury soy candles transforms auditory moments into immersive experiences.
Let’s explore how World Listening Day can be celebrated more deeply — with stillness, scent, and a heightened awareness of sound.
The Origins and Purpose of World Listening Day
World Listening Day was created to raise awareness about the value of listening as a cultural, environmental, and political act. Schafer, who coined the term “soundscape,” believed in the powerful role sound plays in shaping human experience. He emphasized the importance of protecting our acoustic environments in the same way we protect landscapes and water sources.
The day has grown from a niche observance to a global movement, inspiring soundwalks, field recordings, performances, discussions, and mindfulness practices.
Listening, in this context, isn’t just passive hearing. It’s a form of attention. A tool for empathy. A method of connecting with nature, history, and ourselves.
Practicing Deep Listening: From Forests to Urban Soundscapes
What does it mean to truly listen? It’s about more than simply hearing — it’s about presence, discernment, and appreciation.
There are several ways to practice deep listening on World Listening Day:
- Soundwalks in Nature: Take a walk in a nearby forest, park, or beach. Instead of talking or using your phone, immerse yourself in the soundscape.
- Silent Mornings: Start the day without screens, noise, or conversation. Just sit in stillness and notice the ambient sounds around you.
- Field Recording or Journaling: Use a recorder or notepad to document what you hear — birdsong, distant traffic, wind, insects.
- Mindful Candle Rituals: Light a candle, close your eyes, and spend 10 minutes listening. Let the scent ground you in the moment.
One particularly enchanting pairing for this practice is the Forest Witch Soy Candle. With notes of green forest, crisp apple, and cinnamon bark, it brings the woodland soundscape to life.
This sensory link between sound and scent amplifies the presence of each. A rustling leaf feels more vivid when accompanied by the earthy warmth of a forest fragrance.
The Scent of Sound: How Fragrance Deepens Listening
Scent and sound, while distinct senses, both tap into memory and emotion. Studies show that the olfactory system (smell) is directly linked to the limbic system, the part of the brain responsible for emotion and memory. Likewise, sound also triggers deep emotional responses.
When you blend these two — a favorite scent and a meaningful soundscape — you unlock a uniquely immersive experience.
Consider creating a sensory memory box for World Listening Day:
- An ambient playlist or field recording of natural sounds.
- A scented candle that reflects the environment or mood.
- A written reflection of what you heard and felt.
A candle like Winds Will Change Soy Candle pairs beautifully with sounds of rain and soft wind. Its fragrance — fresh rain, wild florals, and wet earth — mirrors a misty morning or gentle storm, ideal for meditative listening.
Candle Rituals for Mindful Listening
Creating a listening ritual with candles is a practice that nurtures the mind and body. Here’s a simple ritual you can try on World Listening Day:
- Choose a Quiet Space
Find a room with minimal distractions. Use soft lighting or none at all, letting the candlelight be your focus. - Light an Intentional Candle
Select a scent that suits your mood or environment. The Witch’s Journal Soy Candle, with its wild sage, chamomile, and citrus blend, is perfect for grounding and reflection. - Sit in Stillness
Close your eyes. Inhale the scent deeply. Begin to notice every sound — the flicker of the flame, your own breath, the world outside your window. - Reflect and Journal
After 10–15 minutes, write down what you heard and felt. Did certain sounds stir emotions? Did memories arise?
This fusion of scent and sound transforms a passive experience into a deeply intentional ritual.
Scent as Storytelling: Evoking Memories Through Fragrance
Each candle in the Aarka Origins collection tells a story. Just as sound can transport you — the crackle of a fireplace, a mother’s voice, the ocean’s roar — so can scent.
Take the Scars Like Stars Soy Candle for example. With its blend of green leaves, pear, and cinnamon woods, it evokes the bittersweet beauty of memories. This candle is ideal for a reflective listening session focused on personal storytelling, poetry, or spoken word recordings.
Whether you’re journaling your thoughts, listening to a grandparent’s stories, or playing a favorite audiobook, aligning the scent with the theme enhances the experience.
Sound gives shape to memory. Scent gives it color. Together, they preserve it.
Listening to Literature: Pairing Audiobooks with Candles
World Listening Day isn’t limited to natural soundscapes. It’s also a perfect opportunity to rediscover the joy of listening to stories — audiobooks, poetry readings, and literary podcasts.
Pairing storytelling with candles enhances the ambiance. The Persephone Soy Candle, with its rich notes of pomegranate, dark cherry, blood orange, and honey, is ideal for mythological tales or epic sagas.
Here are a few combinations to try:
- Greek Mythology Podcast + Persephone Candle
- Classic Love Poems + Strawberry Picking Candle
- Fairy Tales or Forest Lore + Forest Witch Candle
These curated pairings not only amplify your emotional response but also create lasting associations. The next time you smell that candle, the story may come rushing back.
A Celebration of Stillness: Why World Listening Day Matters More Than Ever
We live in a fast-paced world filled with interruptions. Notifications buzz. Podcasts talk endlessly. Social media scrolls. Yet, how often do we pause to truly listen — to the world, to each other, to ourselves?
World Listening Day is a reminder that presence is powerful. Stillness is sacred. And that deep listening — whether to a thunderstorm or to our own heartbeat — is an act of reverence.
This day isn’t about doing more. It’s about noticing more.
And with rituals like candle lighting, scent journaling, and mindful listening, we can create daily moments of magic.
The Strawberry Picking Soy Candle captures this whimsical joy. Its juicy, sun-kissed strawberry aroma is playful and nostalgic — perfect for a light-hearted listening session, perhaps to children’s laughter, birds in the morning, or even old music from your youth.
Listening as a Cultural Practice: Global Traditions of Sound and Silence
While World Listening Day is a modern observance, the concept of deep, intentional listening has deep roots in various cultures around the world. Long before the digital era, many societies recognized the importance of sound in shaping identity, memory, and tradition.
In Indigenous communities, listening is often revered as a sacred practice — a way to hear the land, ancestors, and spirits. Sound is not just data but communication between the living and the unseen. Silence, too, is respected: not as absence, but as presence.
In Japanese culture, there is a concept called “Ma,” which refers to the space between sounds or actions — a deliberate pause that creates rhythm and balance. This philosophy mirrors the quiet moments we observe in a forest, the lull between raindrops, or the flickering pause of a candle’s flame.
The Winds Will Change Soy Candle pairs beautifully with these themes. Evoking the scent of wet earth and wild florals, it complements the reflective space that “Ma” represents. Lighting this candle during a moment of intentional pause can transport you to a serene Japanese garden after a summer rainstorm — a space where silence is as powerful as sound.
By drawing on these global traditions, we can enrich our own celebration of World Listening Day, blending ancient wisdom with modern mindfulness.
Scented Anchors: How Candles Can Ground Us During Auditory Meditation
One of the most powerful uses of candles on World Listening Day is as anchors during auditory meditation or sound baths. Just as yoga practitioners use mantras or breathing to stay focused, a fragrance can serve as a gentle, sensory cue to remain present.
For example, during a sound bath — where instruments like singing bowls, chimes, and gongs create immersive soundscapes — lighting a grounding candle like the Witch’s Journal Soy Candle can enhance the ritual. With its earthy sage and calming chamomile, the scent acts as a tether to the physical world while your mind explores sonic realms.
Here’s how to create your own simple sound meditation session:
- Set an Intention – Before you begin, decide what you want to focus on: clarity, calm, healing, or creativity.
- Light a Candle – Choose a scent that matches your intention. For calm and focus, something herbal or woodsy works well.
- Begin the Sound – Use a playlist of singing bowls, natural field recordings, or live instruments.
- Breathe and Listen – Let the fragrance and sound work together, guiding your awareness gently inward.
With regular practice, your mind will begin to associate certain candle scents with peace, focus, or creativity — turning them into powerful psychological anchors you can use even outside of meditation.
A Multi-Sensory Listening Journal: Capturing Scent, Sound, and Emotion
To truly honor the spirit of World Listening Day, consider creating a multi-sensory journal. This isn’t your average notebook. It’s a living document of your emotional and sensory experiences, capturing the complex interplay between sound, scent, and memory.
What to include in your listening journal:
- Date and Time – When did your session take place?
- Location and Setting – Where were you? Indoors, outdoors, in nature, in a city?
- Sounds You Heard – Birds, voices, water, traffic, silence?
- Scent Used – Which Aarka Origins candle did you light?
- Mood and Emotions – How did you feel before, during, and after?
- Reflections or Insights – What thoughts or memories surfaced?
Pairing your listening entries with candles like the Scars Like Stars Soy Candle helps deepen emotional reflection. Its notes of pear and cinnamon woods evoke a gentle melancholy — perfect for writing sessions or introspective evenings.
Over time, this journal becomes more than a record; it becomes a map of your emotional landscape. And every time you relight a candle, you revisit the memory captured in its glow.
Connecting Through Sound: Deepening Relationships with Intentional Listening
World Listening Day isn’t only about the self — it’s also a powerful opportunity to deepen relationships. In a world filled with shallow exchanges and background noise, intentional listening is one of the most profound gifts we can offer others.
Here are a few ideas for connection rituals:
- Story Sharing Evenings – Invite a friend or family member to share a story while you listen without interruption.
- Poetry Read-Aloud – Light a candle, pour a cup of tea, and read favorite poems aloud to each other.
- Scent and Sound Pairing – Choose a playlist and candle combination together that evokes a shared memory.
For romantic or deeply personal settings, the Persephone Soy Candle is perfect. Its rich, fruit-laden profile creates a sensual ambiance that enhances the depth of storytelling and emotional sharing.
These moments don’t have to be grand. Even five minutes of undistracted, present listening can strengthen trust and foster emotional intimacy.
Candle Playlists: Curating Soundscapes to Match Your Favorite Scents
Another beautiful way to elevate your World Listening Day experience is by curating custom soundtracks for your favorite Aarka Origins candles. The idea is to build playlists that reflect or enhance the mood of each scent.
Here are some inspiring pairings:
- Forest Witch Candle
Playlist Vibe: Ambient forest sounds, Celtic harp, woodland birdsong. - Strawberry Picking Candle
Playlist Vibe: Acoustic guitar, springtime indie, children’s laughter, sunny picnic sounds. - Witch’s Journal Candle
Playlist Vibe: Ethereal piano, wind chimes, gentle storytelling podcasts. - Scars Like Stars Candle
Playlist Vibe: Melancholic jazz, soft ambient lo-fi, autumn wind.
These pairings help you design full sensory environments where each element supports the others. It’s not just about listening or smelling — it’s about experiencing.
Celebrating with Community: Hosting a World Listening Day Gathering
For those who wish to turn World Listening Day into a shared ritual, consider hosting a small gathering. It could be in person or virtual, but the focus should remain on presence, reflection, and sensory experience.
A few ideas:
- Candlelit Soundwalk – Lead a walk through a quiet natural space where each person carries or receives a candle. Pause at intervals to listen and share.
- Listening Circle – Each person brings a sound (a recording, a voice memo, a piece of music) and a candle scent to pair with it.
- Scent and Memory Workshop – Invite guests to smell various candles and share stories the fragrances evoke.
Use a collection of candles from Aarka Origins as the sensory centerpiece. Display them with their unique names and let attendees choose their own to guide the experience.
Such events remind us that listening is not only internal but also relational — a way of holding space for others and honoring the richness of shared soundscapes.
Consultation and Self-Care: Bringing Scent and Sound into Daily Life
At Aarka Origins, we believe in more than fragrance — we believe in ritual. Our mission is to help you reconnect with memory, magic, and mindfulness through thoughtfully crafted soy candles that honor literature, emotion, and everyday enchantment.
Welcome to Aarka Origins – Where Literature Meets Magic in Every Scent.
Our soy candles are:
- Natural, eco-friendly, and non-toxic.
- Designed to evoke beloved books, dream destinations, cozy cafés, and hidden gardens.
- Perfect for aromatherapy, yoga, meditation, reading, and listening rituals.
Whether you’re diving into a nostalgic audiobook or practicing mindful silence, our fragrances are your companions in presence and pause.
If you’re new to scent-based rituals or unsure how to match a candle with a listening moment, we invite you to explore our New Candles Collection, or reach out for personalized recommendations. Let us help you craft your own sound-and-scent sanctuary.
Final Reflections: Let the Silence Speak
As World Listening Day comes to a close, may we carry its lessons beyond a single date. Let us remember that the world is always speaking — in whispers of leaves, in echoes of memory, in the crackle of candlelight.
In an age when noise is constant, listening becomes a form of rebellion — a sacred art. And in pairing that listening with scent, we add depth, dimension, and memory to the practice.
Light a candle. Close your eyes. Listen.
The world — and your inner voice — is waiting to be heard.
