Why Celebration Is Essential: Rituals, Meaning, and Maya Wisdom with Dr. R. Jon McGee

What if celebration isn’t something “extra,” but something essential to living a meaningful, connected life?  If you're like me, you're always looking for reasons to celebrate and enjoy life. 

 In this episode of Stories of Change and Creativity, I sit down with Dr. R. Jon McGee—anthropologist, author, and longtime Texas State University professor— to explore the topic of celebration.  We met at the Live Oak Podcast Studio on the campus of Texas State University.  

For more than forty years, Dr. McGee lived with and learned from Maya communities in southern Mexico. He explained how rituals create order in chaotic times and help people navigate change.

Inside Maya Ritual Life

Professor McGee takes us inside ceremonies shaped by rainforest ecosystems and centuries of tradition—

• incense drifting 
• prayers spoken in a distinct ritual voice
• balché, a fermented mead used to open a sacred, altered state

He reveals how metaphors woven into healing incantations—birds, winds, heat, and fever—carry cultural memory and symbolic meaning. 

Why Rituals Matter in Our Everyday Lives

From Christmas and communion to Thanksgiving tables and graduation, Professor McGee helps us see how our own traditions carry histories and stories forward. These familiar symbols—colors, foods, candles, music—are  anchors that help us mark time and feel connected.

How to Bring More Celebration Into Your Life

If you’re craving more meaning, we discuss some practical ways to create moments of celebration:

• Gather the people who matter most
• Choose symbols your group already loves
• Engage all five senses
• Make space for recognition and storytelling
• Keep it small—simple gestures can make a big difference

How do you celebrate? I’d love to hear.

If you enjoyed this episode subscribe, share with a friend who might need to celebrate more often, and leave a review.   Tell me the one ritual you’d never give up.

Learn more about Dr. R. Jon McGee here.

Recorded at Live Oak Studios on the campus of Texas State University.

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