Steward of the Earth

From a Lithuanian Pagan

Mar 09, 2026

We Mourn Together

It is futile to discuss the politics of our current wars. For over a week now, we have witnessed lives lost as a result of decisions made by those who have little regard for human life.

I mourn for the damage done to our fragile island home. Žemyna, Mother Earth, is angry with our lack of respect. As the evening news shifts from bombs to tornadoes and floods, we see the lives lost to climate change—a different kind of warfare.

The Cycle of Consumerism

In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring. As high school students, we were encouraged to be “ecologists.” This led to the environmental movement and the birth of fuel-saving cars.

1972: I bought my first car, a Datsun 1200.
1973: The Yom Kippur War set off a gas crisis.
The Aftermath: We forgot. We demanded bigger, “safer” cars to survive accidents caused by even bigger cars.

Now that gas prices are soaring again, perhaps we will hear fewer 2026 Ford Mustang Darkhorses racing up and down our streets.

War: What Is It Good For?

Since February 28, 2026, a specific song from June 1970 has invaded my brain. Reflecting on my years at Hood College, I remember wearing my long hippie dress for my senior yearbook picture. I chose a quote from Peanuts:

“It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you are sincere.”

Today, what we believe does matter, even if we are sincere. Our beliefs have divided us.

The Scars of Reality

Shortly after graduation, I married a Marine Corps Veteran with two Purple Hearts from Vietnam. When my father saw him in swim trunks, he simply said, “Nice scars.” They were impossible to miss. Today, I think of the soldiers in Iran and the new Purple Hearts being earned.

In 2008, I returned to Hood College to visit my daughter. Entering her dorm bathroom (which was exactly the same when I lived in that dorm) was a literal time warp; someone had left a boombox playing Edwin Starr’s “War.”

Ever since John Fogerty played Green River on Colbert (November 17, 2025), I’ve been listening to his station. His Vietnam protest songs feel like a premonition for this “four-week war.” Estimates for Armageddon range from one second to 7.5 billion years. Mark your calendars.

Returning to the Old Ways

I want to reminisce about the days when we were all Pagan. Paganism predates organized, monotheistic religions by thousands of years. These were decentralized, oral traditions—a way to explain the unexplained before we had the scripts to lock them down.

Milestone - Approximate Timeline

First Human Language 150,000 – 200,000 years ago
Sumerian Cuneiform 3400 – 3200 BCE
Earliest Bible Scrolls 7th Century BCE
Lithuanian Language Distinct by 6th Century AD (Roots 3,000+ years old)

Lithuanian is one of the oldest living languages, preserving features of Proto-Indo-European (akin to ancient Sanskrit). It is a language that remembers the earth.

Final Rabbit Hole: The Steward

In essence, a Lithuanian pagan “steward of the earth” is a guardian. We are stewards, not owners. We honor the sanctity of the landscape and the spiritual tether between humans and nature.

This old hippie flower child has found a rope to tie a knot in. I am holding on until the end of my final quarter. Meanwhile, I will research, write, and post in hopes that I can teach others to find their own rope.

Once a teacher, always a teacher. I just can’t seem to stop.

Time to Reflect

Please join me in the comments.

What gives you hope right now? In my part of the world, the bulbs are pushing through the soil. Mother Earth will survive with or without us.
We often talk about the politics of war, but we rarely talk about the silence it leaves behind. I would love to hear how other ‘old hippies’ (and young ones!) are processing 2026.
I’m holding onto my ‘rope’ by researching and writing. What is the one thing—a hobby, a ritual, a memory—that you are holding onto tightly this week?