I don't think it matters whether one has a living teacher or not, one can still live in the glance of the soul guide, the inner friendship. A wonderful statement of that enveloping vision is Rumi's line,

I see my beauty in you.

A spiritual alchemy takes place inside the glance. Desire changes and becomes a continuous moment.

— Coleman Barks, The Glance by Coleman Barks, Nevit Ergin