How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Page)
Quote #4
And thus she did on the Mount of Calvary, as it is written before: she had as true contemplation in the sight of her soul as if Christ had hung before her bodily eye in his manhood. (I.28.105)
If we think about what Kempe really experiences in these cases, it's kind of terrifying. Crucifixion is a gruesome punishment. Kempe enters so imaginatively and vividly into Christ's suffering that she can often perceive what he's experiencing with her bodily senses. To see such a thing happening before one's eyes would be devastating. It's this kind of religious experience that Kempe actively courts by living the contemplative life. Suffering is just part of the deal.
Quote #5
When this creature with her companions came to the grave where our Lord was buried, then, as she entered that holy place, she fell down with her candle in her hand, as if she would have died for sorrow. And later she rose up again with great weeping and sobbing, as though she had seen our Lord buried right in front of her. Then she though she saw our Lady in her soul [...]. (I.29.107)
The Holy Sepulchre becomes a portal for Kempe that transports her directly to the moment of Christ's actual burial. In this altered reality, Kempe perceives visually in her soul. Whether she sees with her physical eye or her mind, the effect is the same—and it's usually devastating.
Quote #6
And then the Father took her by the hand [spiritually] in her soul, before the Son and the Holy Ghost, and the Mother of Jesus [...] saying to her soul, "I take you, Kempe, for my wedded wife [...]." (I.35.123)
This may be one of the most bizarre and distressing moments of the book. Kempe participates in a spiritual wedding with God the Father. She's distressed because she's super attached to Jesus, the Son of God, partly as a result of his humanity. Still, she goes along with it and sees a full wedding entourage in her soul. It's highly symbolic, and it signifies that Kempe is maturing in her spirituality.