The
Golden Bough has been around for 25 years, although the building itself
is over 100 years old. Since Otto and I have been its stewards, we
have had people come in to tell us bits and pieces of its past. Its
history has been colorful. Although we have known it only as the Golden
Bough, it has also been a Tobacconist Shop, The Little Red Cookhouse,
a home to two brothers, and a bordello.
Dorothy Kingsland changed all that in 1977, when she anchored the
energy of the New Age and renamed it the Golden Bough. She was quite
an interesting woman. In the upstairs loft, Dorothy had an occult
lending library. The books were in the front of the store, while
Dorothy lived in the back. This is no small feat, as the space is
very small.
Resembling Katherine Hepburn, Dorothy was both kind and sophisticated.
She loved Mt Shasta, and during her stewardship, the Golden Bough
became quite famous, much of it due to Dorothy herself. In the 1970's,
the whole metaphysical movement was just emerging from its cocoon,
where only a select few had the interest in, and the access to,
the hidden mysteries.
While Dorothy was minding the store, she had a dear friend who
visited her often. Eventually, this woman, Missi Gillespie, bought
the Golden Bough from Dorothy, who retired into more of a background
role. Missi had spent years familiarizing herself with all the New
Age trends in California. Like Dorothy, she was a character in her
own right. Tall, gorgeous and fairly queenly in nature, Missi ruled
her little domain, with her faithful, and quite charming, black
poodle, Sanga. For ten years, she kept the doors opened to seekers
of all kinds.
In 1996, Otto and I (Jessie) bought the Golden Bough from Missi.
We optimistically forged ahead, making plans as the need arose,
naively unaware of the complexities of running a small business
of this nature. What we have realized is that, when one steps into
the unknown, Grace is ever present. The Golden Bough has flourished,
and we have had many interesting experiences. I can honestly say
that running the Golden Bough is more about the spiritual lessons
than it is about commerce, although the commerce keeps the doors
open.
Dorothy has since left this earthly realm, although her photo sits
in the loft. We feel she is still overseeing the bigger picture
for us. Missi pops in to see us periodically, long enough for us
to catch up on each other's lives. She is still an important connection
for us to a very special time in Mt Shasta, the 70's and 80's, when
we were all still filled with excitement and youthful enthusiasm
about World Peace and the Shifting Paradigm.
While we still pray for this, we know that old patterns need years
to be transformed, and this is the reason for our presence. We offer
a variety of books, music, gifts, crystals and cards for the spiritual
seeker. We make every attempt to keep a neutral position, thus allowing
people to make their own choices in the path to Self-Inquiry. Each
of us has our particular areas of expertise. We are not a large
operation, and we attempt to keep things very personal. We try to
give our customers the best service we possibly can.
We welcome you into our little oasis, and if there is anything
you would want, in particular, let us help you find it.
