Looks like you're on a journey, Jonathan,
a spiritual journey.
You're going in the same direction as a bunch of people
who also have interest in the spiritual.---Well, at least
they didn't hoot the author down!
You haven't decided, it seems,
whom to believe, man, woman, whatever.
What you might do is find a quiet place and moment and try to finish the dream. You can do that while you're awake if you pay attention to your own neural network: does it relax, meaning confirmation, yes, no threat, after any possible dream endings you can consciously offer? For example,
The train slows down and everyone gets off at a book festival where there are many choices; and you and everyone's buying some of each, for now? Or
A tall man with white blonde hair stands up and offers free materials to all , to be found at the top of his website (here.)
Or-----you make up some and see which one you sense is right.
Are you having conflict with the difference between 'spiritual' and 'religious' ? I think of spiritual as being based on personal experience with Spirit; religious to me means ideas that a huge number of people have agreed upon (compromised? took on faith? saw history of? etc. )---does it bother you to have to encounter some aspects of spiritual alone?
Because we're not alone, you know.