The Soul as Chamber

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

Kempe introduces the idea of her soul as a room into which she welcomes God early in her narrative, when she uses an idea made popular by Julian of Norwich: "[...] she would weep and sob that many men were greatly astonished, for they little knew ho at home our Lord was in her soul" (Proem.34). She wants to explain that she knows God on an intimate level, like a friend who comes to visit, kicks off his shoes, and gets comfortable.

Kempe not only invites God into this chamber, she also calls on the female virgin saints to appear there to welcome God and to help her decorate the place to make it more proper and comfortable. We learn a little about Kempe's mystic techniques when Jesus describes what he finds when he visits Kempe's soul-chamber:

"[...] you sometimes imagine, daughter, that you have a cushion of gold, another of red velvet, the third of white silk, in your soul. And you think that my Father sits on the cushion of gold, for with him lies might and power. And you think that I...sit on the red cushion of velvet, for upon me is all your thought, because I bought you so dearly [...]." (I.86.251-52)

Although Kempe isn't usually good at handling figurative language, she does a bang-up job in constructing this chamber. Hey, this lady is talking about what she knows: home life. Fancy-pants men of the Church may not appreciate what she's saying, but she's proving that the mystical experience is open to everyone, and it can be described in any kind of language. This interior decorating job helps Kempe through a rigorous contemplative process and allows her to understand more readily what is happening when she waits in silence for God to enter her soul.