1) to open by dividing or drawing asunder, to open thoroughly (what had been closed)

a) a male opening the womb (the closed matrix), i.e. the first-born

b) of the eyes and the ears

c) to open the mind of one, i.e. to cause to understand a thing

1) to open one's soul, i.e. to rouse in one the faculty of understanding or the desire of learning