essential and peculiar principle, which is distinguished from the breast
of the woman: that this is wisdom, may be seen above, n. 187; for truth
supports wisdom as the ribs do the breast. These things are signified,
because the breast is that part of a man in which all his principles are
as in their centre. From these considerations, it is evident, that the
woman was created out of the man by a transfer of his peculiar wisdom,
which is the same thing as to be created out of natural truth; and that
the love thereof was transferred from the man into the woman, to the end
that conjugial love might exist; and that this was done in order that
the love of the wife and not self-love might be in the man: for the
wife, in consequence of her innate disposition, cannot do otherwise than
convert self-love, as existing with the man, into his love to herself;
and I have been informed, that this is effected by virtue of the wife's
love itself, neither the man nor the wife being conscious of it: hence,
no man can possibly love his wife with true conjugial love, who from a
principle of self-love is vain and conceited of his own intelligence.
When this arcanum relating to the creation of the woman from the man, is
understood, it may then be seen, that the woman in like manner is as it
were created or formed from the man in marriage; and that this is
effected by the wife, or rather through her by the Lord, who imparts
inclinations to women whereby they produce such an effect: for the wife
receives into herself the image of a man, and thereby appropriates to
herself his affections, as may be seen above, n. 183; and conjoins the
man's internal will with her own, of which we shall treat presently; and
also claims to herself the propagated forms (_propagines_) of his soul,
of which also we shall speak elsewhere. From these considerations it is
evident, that, according to the description in the book of Genesis,
interiorly understood, a woman is formed into a wife by such things as
she takes out of the husband and his breast, and implants in herself.

194. IX. THIS FORMATION IS EFFECTED ON THE PART OF THE WIFE BY SECRET
MEANS; AND THIS IS MEANT BY THE WOMAN'S BEING CREATED WHILE THE MAN
SLEPT. It is written in the book of Genesis, that Jehovah God caused a
deep sleep to fall upon Adam, so that he slept; and that then he took
one of his ribs, and builded it into a woman: chap. ii. 21, 22. That by
the man's sleep and sleeping is signified his entir