Friday, September 22 marked a momentous and symbolic occasion for Pacifica Graduate Institute and OPUS Archives and Research Center as they proudly welcomed the esteemed President of Lithuania, Dr. Gitanas Nausėda, and Lithuanian First Lady, Diana Nausėdienė, for an exclusive visit to the Marija Gimbutas Library and Archives, curated by OPUS Archives at Pacifica’s Lambert Road Campus in Carpinteria, California.
Following his attendance and address at the United Nations General Assembly, President Nausėda, accompanied by his delegation, made a special journey to Southern California. Their delegation underlined the significance of their visit to the Gimbutas Library and Archives as a priority of their trip to the region. Lithuanians hold Gimbutas in very high regard for her work on prehistoric European archaeology, her work preserving Lithuanian folklore and mythology, and for her publications about the goddess figurines of Old Europe, the early farming cultures of Europe before 2500 BCE. Gimbutas was Professor of European Archeology and Indo-European Studies at UCLA, whose personal library and archives were donated to Pacifica and Opus in 1994. Her publications in English include Ancient Symbolism in Lithuanian Folk Art (1958), Bronze Age cultures in Central and Eastern Europe (1965), Goddesses and Gods of Old Europe (1974, revised 1982), The Language of the Goddess (1989) and The Civilization of the Goddess: The World of Old Europe (1991).
During the tour guided by Pacifica’s Special Collections Librarian, Richard Buchen, First Lady Diana Nausėdienė underscored the vital role and far-reaching impact of OPUS in advancing the research of scholars committed to preserving cultural traditions. President Nausėda, a collector of old books, took great interest in seeing Gimbutas’ book collection. He was particularly interested in her copy of her 1946 doctoral dissertation, which was completed in Germany, and had signatures on the inner cover page that he recognized as important Lithuanian intellectuals.
Towards the conclusion of their visit, President Nausėda expressed his vision for OPUS to digitize the Gimbutas collection, thereby ensuring worldwide accessibility. As Pacifica’s President & CEO, Dr. Leonie H. Mattison, notes, “This bold and urgent call to action aligns with my presidential commitment and Pacifica’s vision of making depth psychological education, research, and services accessible to all. I couldn’t be prouder of how Pacifica and Opus came together to support this historic visit to our campus and in continuing opportunities to fulfill our commitment to tending soul in and of the world.”
Dr. Maren Hansen, OPUS Board member who co-hosted the tour with President Mattison said, “We are honored by this visit from President Nausėda and First Lady Nausėdienė, as well as by the presence of Marija Gimbutas’ daughter, Zivile. Our study of the material of the Gimbutas archives brings the material alive, making it a living archive.”
OPUS is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve, develop, and extend to the world the archival collections and libraries of eminent scholars in the fields of Jungian and depth psychology, mythology and the humanities. OPUS holds collections of numerous depth psychologists such as James Hillman, and mythologists including Marija Gimbutas and Joseph Campbell. The OPUS archives at the campuses of Pacifica Graduate Institute are open by appointment only and may be contacted via email at info@opusarchives.org.
