From Journal Entry: April 2000
In the dream, I was a Black boy around the age of ten or twelve. I lived in a fishing village, and it was one of my happiest memories. We lived in the simple days near the shore. Our village was small. The men in the village were fishermen, and my father taught me everything there was to know about fishing. It wasn't simply a job; it was our way of life.
The women in the village often baked bread. This was done every Saturday. A loaf of bread would be placed on the windowsill. The bread was meant to invite the good spirits into our home. It was our way of welcoming the Sabbath. That was our day of rest. The day we set aside to praise God.
On the night of the Sabbath, the villagers gathered around a fire. We shared our stories and our dreams. It was a sacred time to reflect upon our ancestors and to remember who we were as a people. Our ancestors had left behind their truth and wisdom within the land itself. It was carved into every rock and every stone. It lived within the sea, the fish, and the stars that reminded us of who we were so that we would never lose our way.
When I awoke, I didn't feel like I had dreamed about someone else. I felt like I had remembered being that little boy.
Looking at the Dream Through a Historical Lens
Over the years, I have often wondered whether this dream reflected an actual past-life memory. While no one can prove such experiences historically, I became curious about whether the customs I witnessed in the dream resembled any real cultures or religious traditions.
The strongest historical clue is the observance of the Sabbath. Keeping one day each week holy as a day of rest devoted to God is most closely associated with Judaism and with some of the earliest followers of Christ who continued to observe the biblical Sabbath.
Yet another detail caught my attention. In my dream, the women baked bread each Saturday, placing a loaf upon the windowsill as a way of inviting good spirits into the home. Historically, baking bread before the Sabbath is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. However, placing bread on a windowsill to welcome good spirits is not a traditional Jewish custom. That detail appears to reflect something different…perhaps the blending of biblical faith with much older indigenous beliefs passed down through generations. This combination fascinated me. Ancient Faith Woven Together with Indigenous Tradition.
The dream also emphasized honoring the ancestors, gathering around a fire to tell stories, listening to dreams, and believing that wisdom lives within the rocks, the sea, the fish, and the stars. These traditions resemble many indigenous cultures in which history is preserved through oral storytelling, where nature is viewed as sacred, and where ancestors remain an important part of the community's identity.
Rather than conflicting with faith in God, the people in my dream seemed to live both traditions naturally. They honored the Sabbath while also honoring the wisdom their ancestors had entrusted to the land.
History tells us that this type of blending has occurred in many places around the world, especially within small villages where ancient customs continued alongside biblical beliefs.
Where Could This Have Been? Although no historical conclusion can ever be certain, my own research suggests that the setting may have resembled an African coastal fishing village. One possibility that stands out is East Africa, perhaps somewhere along the Red Sea or the Swahili Coast, where fishing villages flourished for centuries and where ancient Jewish communities and biblical traditions existed alongside deeply rooted local customs.
Another fascinating comparison is with the Beta Israel community of Ethiopia, an ancient Jewish community that faithfully observed the Sabbath for generations. While some details of my dream do not match their documented customs exactly, the overall atmosphere of Sabbath observance, simplicity, community life, and devotion to God feels surprisingly similar.
The belief that ancestors leave wisdom within the land, however, seems to reflect an indigenous worldview that extends beyond traditional Judaism. That makes me wonder whether the people I dreamed about had woven together two spiritual inheritances…one biblical and one ancestral, creating a beautiful expression of faith unique to their community.
When Might This Have Taken Place? Based solely upon the lifestyle I witnessed in the dream, I believe it may have reflected a time somewhere between the 1600s and the early 1800s. The village was simple. There was no indication of industrialization or modern technology. Life revolved around fishing, bread baking, storytelling, family, faith, and community. Time seemed slower. Life felt deeply connected to nature and to God.
Of course, this is only a historical estimate based on the details preserved within the dream. It is not proof of a particular place or time.
A Memory That Continues to Speak Whether this experience was a symbolic dream, a spiritual vision, or an authentic glimpse into another lifetime is something each reader must decide for themselves. As for me, I cannot explain why this dream has remained so vivid for more than two decades. What I remember most is not the fishing village. It is the overwhelming feeling of peace. A little boy who loved his father. A community that rested every Sabbath. Fresh bread baked with love. Stories shared beneath the stars. Ancestors remembered. God honored. And a quiet certainty that wisdom can still be found in the rocks, the sea, the fish, and the stars for those willing to listen.
Madison Meadows