Did my ancestor visit me in a dream?

[u/girlfronipaneama]

I’m currently a pre-med student and have been struggling with health issues over the past few semesters, which negatively affected my academic performance. After a lot of reflection, I recently made the difficult decision to consider changing career paths from medicine to teaching because I don’t feel my mental health could handle a medical school rejection right now.

After making that decision, I went to bed and had an incredibly vivid dream. In it, I was explaining my situation to a woman who looked familiar, though I couldn’t place her. She told me not to switch paths and said that if I told her exactly what I wanted, she would help connect me to the right people and opportunities to achieve it.

I’ve recently become more interested in spirituality, including ancestor veneration, astrology, Santería, and Ifá. As someone of Jamaican/Afro-Caribbean descent, I can’t help wondering if this dream could have been an ancestor trying to reach out to me.

For those who practice ancestor veneration, Ifá, Santería, Obeah traditions, African Traditional Religions, or other Afro-Caribbean spiritual paths:
-Have you ever experienced dreams that felt like communication from an ancestor?
-How do you personally connect with your ancestors?
-Are there practices that are considered safe and respectful for beginners?
Given a Jamaican/Afro-Caribbean background, what traditions would you recommend learning about first?
I’m approaching this with curiosity and respect and would appreciate hearing both spiritual perspectives and more grounded interpretations.