The information is out there, for the most part, in books and magazines and web sites. You can hear an idea hundreds or thousands of times and it can be just a fact to memorize. Eventually something clicks and one of those times it really sinks in in a deeper, more meaningful way. Other things shift in your mind around your new understanding. The energy and awareness of your teacher makes it more likely that more things will click the right way for you, with fewer repetitions required. Repetition is still a key factor. Trust is important. You have to let the teacher in, and be changed into something new. This process of meeting your teacher normally happens in person and it is deeper and more personal than finding your spouse. This is someone who is going to mess with your reality itself and your identity. On the other hand, now people are meeting and dating online and it is working out somehow. Maybe it will be possible to find your teacher, too. I just find it hard to imagine.