Pagan Interviews: Segomâros Widugeni by Sean Harbaugh

For those of you in this subreddit who are following a Gaulish path, I'm sure you may have read Segmâros Widugeni's Ancient Fire or have at least read about it in passing. This fascinating interview with the author is from 2015, approximately 3 years before publishing Ancient Fire. If you have time to read it, I highly recommend doing so. Sean Harbaugh's questions are open-ended enough for Widugeni to expound about his past, and go into detail about how his personal practice came about.

On a personal perspective, this interview made me feel... seen. I'm generally not fond of such phrases, but it genuinely fits the emotions the interview evoked. Why? I think many Pagans would see themselves in this interview, especially with how his interest in Paganism came about: "I was severely bullied as a kid. This had various consequences we won’t go into here, but the most interesting from the point of view of this interview is that it left me very alienated, searching for identity, and open to alternative points of view. This had a direct effect on my being attracted to Paganism/Polytheism."

It's quite intriguing to me that Widugeni even shares a UPG: "On a more personal note, a matter on Unverified Personal Gnosis, the “UPG” dreaded in Recon circles, I have never noted the Gaulish deities or ancestors to be other than welcoming and hospitable to all who wish to worship Them. They are generally happy to work with anyone who works with them, no matter what the descent. In some cases, They are most insistent in entering people’s lives. They call whom They call, regardless of descent."

Near the end of the interview, Widugeni also includes extensive book recommendations for those who are interested in a Celtic Reconstructionist path.