Several nights ago I came across a photograph of a place I’ve never been. The photograph itself was unremarkable; yet, I felt an intense sense of déjà vu, an unexplainable connection. I sat and stared transfixed at the memories this picture seemed to hold. Everything on the picture was familiar to me, from the stairs, to the curve of the bridge, to the secrets hiding behind the shadows. I had the strangest dream that night, not a nightmare per say, but a vivid vision that left me feeling as though I had a slight hangover when I woke up. My mind was foggy. I felt dizzy, as if I’d just gotten off a merry-go-round that was moving too fast. I tried to remember the dream but it faded away as most dreams do when we try to remember them in the morning light. The day went on, the sun...bright...the sky...blue, and I forgot about the picture and the dream. Then, suddenly, the sky grew dark and the winds began to howl and rain fell. I sat in my office looking out of the window and watched the branches of the tree bend dangerously back and forth. I heard something behind the hollowing wind….something beckoning me, calling out to me. The photograph and the dream taking form again in my mind.I saw myself running across the bridge, my heels clicking against the cobblestones of the narrow dimly lit passageways, the hem of my turn-of-the century ivory silk Fortuny gown gathered in my hands as I ran. There was a intense anticipation, a longing. I was running to something...to someone. But there was also a sense of sadness as well. Were these visions just my overactive imagination? Do I believe in past lives? Do I believe that my soul has lived before?
My parents as devout Catholics have exposed me to a world of religious mysticism, but I have longed for a deeper truth than the Catholic dogma has to offer. I have researched Hindu and Buddhist beliefs on past lives and how we live in our past lives governs what our journey will be in the next life and find the concept…fascinating and wonder how many more lifetimes my soul has yet to travel before it reaches its destiny.
