At Hay House UK, when we consider signing up an author who is a psychic, intuitive or medium, we usually need to see them give readings to be able to feel confident about the quality of their work. We want to know how they will handle a large audience and a challenging journalist who wants to put them on the spot to assess how accurate they are. It isn’t just about their book proposal – we need to see the style and content of their work to know whether they will fit in to all the things we do, such as speaking events, online courses and Hay House Radio.

We absolutely don’t want to intimidate potential authors, and whenever possible we try to see them in front of a live audience. Sometimes this is difficult to arrange, and we then need to ask if they would mind demonstrating their work either in a private one- to-one reading with a member of the team, or by giving a mini- reading to someone during our meeting. It all depends on the style of reading and counselling that the person gives, but we need to be able to get a clear sense of their particular approach.

(Kyle with me (l) and Rebecca Campbell (r) at his London workshop, April 2015)

A week or so ago at Kyle Gray’s one-day workshop we were remembering his first meeting with the Hay House team. When asked if would be comfortable giving a mini-reading for one of us he didn’t hesitate, and went on to give a great reading to one of our editors. He mentioned her recent shoe problems, which made us laugh as her shoe had completely broken on the way to work the previous day. She had put an elastic band around it and hobbled to buy a replacement pair.

At that first meeting Kyle was in his early twenties and yet showed great composure and depth as he fielded our questions. I was struck by the sense of knowledge and gravitas that he exuded. This young Glaswegian angel intuitive and part-time DJ was serious about metaphysics and spirituality, and it showed. I suspected then that the knowledge Kyle has was not gained solely in this lifetime. That impression has endured as he has grown and developed. It was really refreshing to meet this young, cool guy with such commitment to his spiritual life. It was clear that he would be able to fire up other young people with an awareness of the emptiness of the material life. We all felt that he had the potential to engage a new audience who might not be able to ‘hear’ the older spiritual teachers so well, or consider their ideas so relevant to their lives.

Kyle seemed more akin to Gabby Bernstein and Meggan Watterson – the young New York teachers setting alight the minds of new tribes of spiritual seekers. It’s not surprising that he has subsequently become great friends with both Gabby and Meggan – they love, get and support each other. 

(Kyle with Meggan (l) and Gabby (r))

There is a tremendous commitment in these guys to bring about a shift in consciousness, and they want to help each other do this rather than operating from a place of competition. I find it really exciting to see these new teachers carrying their knowledge across lifetimes and bringing it here now with such articulate intensity and urgency.

Kyle’s work has expanded and deepened in these last years as he has studied the yogic path, A Course in Miracles, and aspects of The Western Mysteries. He is committed to spending a month of each year in India, devoting time to the yoga practice that has enabled him to align his body and mind.

These studies have helped him to take his next step as a teacher and focus on the powerful subject of forgiveness in his new book Wings of Forgiveness. Anyone who heard Kyle speak at our Ignite event in March will have been struck by the power with which he has engaged with this huge subject. He felt very clear that this was the next subject he needed to approach, and he has created a wonderful book that combines the often-gritty realities of the clients he works with, the deep wisdom of A Course in Miracles, insights he has received from the Archangels and his great respect for the divine feminine. It’s a powerful combination.

(Kyle speaking at Ignite! in London, March 2015)

I hope you get the chance to encounter Kyle’s ideas and share my excitement in knowing that there is a generation of teachers in the UK, like Kyle and Buddhist lucid dreamer Charlie Morley, who are absolutely committed to helping bring about a shift in consciousness at this time.

Editor's Note: Michelle Pilley is the Managing Director and Publisher of Hay House UK. Like her Facebook page or follow her on Twitter. To receive Present Thoughts by email each week, sign up here.