ALCHEMISTS...

This spiritual friend reflects an inner voice or inner guidance. Jung says:

“The alchemists projected the inner event into an outer figure, so for them the inner friend appeared in the form of the “Stone,” of which the Tractatus aureus : “Understand, ye sons of the wise, what this exceeding precious Stone crieth out to you: Protect me and I will protect thee. Give me what is mine that I may help thee.” To this a scholiast adds: “The seeker after truth hears both the Stone and the Philosopher speaking as if out of one mouth.” The Philosopher is Hermes, and the Stone is identical with Mercurius, the Latin Hermes.”
 http://thejungian.com/2013/03/17/carl-jung-from-the-earliest-times-hermes-was-the-mystagogue-and-psycho-pomp/?blogsub=confirming#subscribe-blog