February is Spiritual Teachers Month, a time to honor the spiritual teachers in our lives, find one if we are in need, or perhaps even become one.

Spiritual teachers can be found in many forms. A live, breathing guide is a wonderful person to have—you may find one of these at school, at church, or even within your own home. But spiritual teachers needn’t only be living, breathing people. Here are a few ways to learn more about spiritual teachers, find one for yourself, or even begin to become one.

• Read. As cliché as that sounds, since the creation of books people have been using the written word as their spiritual teacher. This doesn’t just mean the Bible, either. Any religious text, spiritual guide created by a life coach or expert in a certain field, or phenomenal piece of literature or philosophy may be a spiritual teacher. Any work that you’ve read that impacted your life could be valued as such.
• Search online. Many life coaches, therapists, spiritual gurus and other possible teachers provide free information from their websites, e-classes, articles, or teleclasses. For example, you might find a spiritual teacher from the MaestroPath New Beginnings series of free teleclasses.
• Meander around your city. Check out the different churches, synagogues, temples, and definitely the libraries. See if anything really calls to you. Interview religious leaders at each place and find out if anyone seems like they could really help you on your path.
• Ask around. Maybe your friend knows an awesome lecturer, massage therapist, or even hairdresser with a knack for dispensing spiritual guidance. Perhaps a relative knows a holistic doctor who can help. Maybe you’ve even simply got a friend who’s been there, done that, and can help from experience.
• Take a class or two. From religious studies to life enhancement courses, you can learn a lot about spirituality and life itself from an academic teacher. Various herbal, seminary, and other spiritual courses are also available through correspondence courses and online programs.
• Have an open mind and an open heart. Approach all experiences as potential learning experiences. If some old woman wants to tell you something she thinks is important while you’re waiting in line at the DMV, let her tell you. Really listen. You may find a hidden spiritual message if you stay open. And if nothing else, you could probably pass the time a little faster.