Woman Formed Into Man's Wife

Selection from
The Delights of Wisdom
Pertaining To
CONJUGIAL LOVE
After Which Follow
THE PLEASURES OF INSANITY
Pertaining To
SCORTATORY LOVE
Translated from the Latin of
EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

THE WOMAN IS FORMED INTO [THE MAN'S] WIFE
ACTUALLY ACCORDING TO THE DESCRIPTION IN THE BOOK OF CREATION

It is said in that Book, that the woman was created out of the rib of the man, and that when she was brought to him, the man said, This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; and she shall be called Ishah (woman), because she was taken out of Ish (man). Gen. 2:22, 23.

In the Word in its spiritual sense, by a rib of the breast nothing else is signified than natural truth. This is signified by the ribs which the bear carried between his teeth (Daniel 7:5), by bears, being signified those who read the Word in its natural sense and see truths therein without understanding. By the breast of a man is signified that essential and characteristic thing which is distinct from the breast of a woman. This is wisdom, as may be seen above (no. 187); for truth supports wisdom as a rib supports the breast. These are the significations because the breast is the region in which everything belonging to the man is present as in its center.

[2] From the above it is evident, that woman was created out of man by the transcription of his proprial wisdom, which is wisdom from natural truth; and that the love of this wisdom was transferred from man into woman that it might become conjugial love; also that this was done, to the end that in the man there may be, not self love but love of his wife, and she from her innate disposition cannot do otherwise than convert the self love with the man into his love to her. Moreover, I have heard that this is effected by the wife's love, neither the man nor the wife being conscious of it. Hence it is that no man can ever truly love his partner conjugially if he is in the pride of self- intelligence from love of self.

[3] When this arcanum of the creation of woman out of man is understood, it can be seen that in marriage woman is likewise created, as it were, that is, is formed from man; and that this is effected by the wife, or rather through the wife, by the Lord, it being the Lord who infuses into women the inclination so to act; for the wife receives the man's image into herself by appropriating to herself his affections (see above, no. 183); also by conjoining the man's internal will to her own will, of which hereafter; and, moreover, by appropriating to herself the propagations of his soul, of which likewise hereafter. From this it is evident, that in accordance with the description in the Book of Creation interiorly understood, a woman is formed into a wife by means of such things as she takes from her husband and from his breast and inscribes on herself.

THIS FORMATION IS EFFECTED BY THE WIFE IN SECRET WAYS
AND THAT THIS IS WHAT IS MEANT BY THE WOMAN BEING CREATED WHILE THE MAN SLEPT

We read in the Book of Creation that Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, that he might fall asleep, and then took one of his ribs and built it into a woman (Gen. 2:21, 22).

That by the man's sleep and by his falling asleep is signified his entire ignorance that a wife is being formed and, as it were, created from him, is evident from what was shown in the preceding and also in the present chapter, concerning the innate prudence and circumspection of wives in not divulging anything whatever about their love or about their assumption of the affections of the man's life and so about the transcription of his wisdom into themselves. That this is effected by the wife in secret ways, the husband all unaware and as though sleeping, is clear from what has been explained above (nos. 166-68 seq.). There it was also explained that for reasons which are necessities, the prudence to accomplish this is implanted in women from creation and hence from birth, to the end that conjugial love, friendship, and confidence may be established, and so the blessedness of cohabitation and the happiness of life. That this may be rightly done, it was therefore enjoined on the man that he should leave father and mother and cleave unto his wife (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4, 5).

[2] In the spiritual sense, by the father and mother whom the man is to leave is meant the proprium of his will and the proprium of his understanding, the proprium of man's will being to love himself, and the proprium of his understanding to love his own wisdom; and by cleaving is signified devoting himself to the love of his wife. That these two propriums are evils deadly to man if they remain with him, and that the love of the two is changed into conjugial love so far as the man cleaves to his wife, that is, receives her love, may be seen just above (no. 193) and in other passages. That by sleeping is signified being in ignorance or unconcern; that by father and mother are signified the two propriums of man, that of his will and that of his understanding; and that by cleaving is signified devoting one's self to the love of some one, can be abundantly confirmed by passages from other parts of the Word, but this is not the place.

THIS FORMATION BY THE WIFE IS EFFECTED
BY THE CONJUNCTION OF HER WILL WITH THE INTERNAL WILL OF THE MAN

 That with the man are rational wisdom and moral wisdom, and that the wife conjoins herself with those things with the man which pertain to his moral wisdom, has been shown above (nos. 163-65). All things pertaining to rational wisdom make his understanding, and all things pertaining to moral wisdom make his will. It is with these latter, being those which form the man's will, that the wife conjoins herself. It is the same whether it be said that the wife conjoins herself or that she conjoins her will to the man's will; for a wife is born voluntary and hence does what she does from the will. It is said with the man's internal will because man's will has its seat in his intellect, and the intellectual of man is the inmost of woman, according to what was said above (no. 32) and frequently thereafter respecting the formation of woman from man. Men have also an external will, but this often partakes of simulation and dissimulation. A wife sees this will clearly but does not conjoin herself with it except in pretence or playfully.

TO THE END THAT THE WILL OF BOTH MAY BECOME ONE WILL
AND THUS THE TWO, ONE MAN

...for he who conjoins to himself the will of any one, conjoins to himself his understanding also, the understanding regarded in itself being merely the minister and servant of the will. That this is the case is apparent from the affection of love, in that it moves the understanding to think at its bid. Every affection of love is a property of the will, for what a man loves, that he also wills. From this it follows that he who conjoins to himself a man's will, conjoins to himself the whole man. Hence it is, that it is implanted in a wife's love to unite her husband's will with her own, for in this way the wife becomes the husband's and the husband the wife's; thus the two become one man.

THIS FORMATION IS EFFECTED BY THE APPROPRIATION OF THE AFFECTIONS OF THE HUSBAND

Since affections pertain to the will, this makes one with the two preceding articles; for affections, which are nothing else than derivations of the love, form the will and make and compose it. But with men, these affections are in the understanding, while with women they are in the will.

THIS FORMATION IS EFFECTED BY THE WIFE
BY THE RECEPTION OF THE PROPAGATIONS OF THE SOUL OF THE HUSBAND,
 WITH THE DELIGHT ARISING FROM THIS
THAT SHE WILLS TO BE THE LOVE OF HER HUSBAND'S WISDOM.

This coincides with what was explained above (nos. 172, 173), therefore further explanation is omitted. With wives conjugial delights spring from no other source than their will to be one with their husband, just as good is one with truth in the spiritual marriage; and that it is from this marriage that conjugial love descends has been shown in detail in its own chapter [no. 84 seq.]. From this it can be seen as in effigy, that the wife conjoins the man to herself as good conjoins truth to itself, and that the man reciprocally conjoins himself to his wife according to the reception of her love into himself, as truth reciprocally conjoins itself to good according to the reception of good into itself; also that thus the wife's love forms itself by the man's wisdom, as good forms itself by truth, truth being the form of good. From this it is also evident, that with the wife, conjugial delights are principally from this, that she wills to be one with her husband, consequently, that she wills to be the love of her husband's wisdom; for, as explained in article IV, no. 188, she then feels the delights of her heat in the man's light.

[References, other than from the Holy Scriptures referred to in this article, are from the work entitled Conjugial Love  penned by Emanuel Swedenborg.  This material-Conjugial Love-is available online or in literature form. If you need assistance, feel free to contact us.]