The father and mother, whom the man is to leave, in a spiritual sense signify his proprium of will and proprium of understanding; and the proprium of a man's (homo) will is to love himself, and the proprium of his understanding is to love his own wisdom; and to cleave to his wife signifies to devote himself to the love of his wife.

By father and mother, whom man is to leave, Matt. xix. 4, 5, in a spiritual sense, is meant his proprium (self-hood) of will, and proprium of understanding, 194.