It was explained above (90) that men were created as forms of the intellect, women as forms of the love of their menfolk's intellect. It follows that the changes of state, which take place successively in both men and women from childhood up to maturity, are designed to complete the form of the intellect in men and of the will in women. That is why it is said that the changes in men are different from those in women. But in both cases the outer form, that of the body, is completed in keeping with the inner form, that of the mind. For the mind acts upon the body, and not the reverse. This is the reason why children in heaven grow up to become people of the stature and looks which are in keeping with the development of their intelligence. This is different from the case of children on earth, because they, like animals, are enveloped in a material body. They do, however, agree in growing first of all in inclination towards the objects which gratify their bodily senses, and then gradually towards those which affect their inner thought-processes; and by stages towards things that fill their will with affection. At the point where one's age is on the turn from immaturity to maturity, the inclination towards marriage comes in too. This is a young woman's inclination towards a young man, and a young man's towards a young woman.

Since young women in the heavens, just as much as on earth, have the inborn prudence to conceal their inclinations towards marriage, the young men there too do not realise that it is not they who inspire young women with love, an appearance favoured by the masculine drive. But this they get from the influence of love coming from the fair sex, a subject which will be specifically treated elsewhere [223]. These considerations will establish the truth of the assertion that the changes of state are different in the case of men and of women, since men were created forms of knowledge, intelligence and wisdom, and women forms of the love of these qualities in men.