 Shortly after moving to Mill Valley, Kelly experienced what he described as a "spontaneous mystical experience," when a vision of the Goddess first appeared to him at the age of 15.Although Kelly was raised as a Roman Catholic, his vision of the Goddess in Mill Valley triggered a lifelong interest in alternative religions.After graduating from high school, Kelly studied at the University of California, Berkeley, then San Francisco State University (San Francisco State College at that time), where he received his bachelor's degree in 1964.