Staircase, Ladder

Climbing a staircase or ladder is an image of reaching a higher state of consciousness. The staircase is permanent, it can remain still forever, like a rock. The ladder, however, is a more temporary path that only one person can use at a time; it implies a more individualistic and perhaps spontaneous climb.

Closer to the Gods  

Climbing a staircase brings you closer to the sky, and this image shares similarities with mountains. For this reason, it is very common to climb stairs to reach a temple, and stairs are often depicted in, for example, Egyptian tombs. The shaman climbs a ladder to reach a higher level, and so on.

Initiation  

The staircase and ladder are common symbols in initiations and representations of reaching a higher state of consciousness. Going up and down in a dream may reflect processes of transformation, with its reversals in its opposite.

Eliade suggests that the symbol represents the transition between planes, which is necessary for the transformation of being, as it places us in the location where communication between the three worlds is possible. This is why "stairs and ladders play such a significant role in initiation rites and myths, not to mention in rites of royal or priestly coronation and marriage." (Images and Symbols, p. 50.)

Alchemy

The representation of stairs as spiritual development is particularly pronounced in Freemason symbolism and alchemical depictions, but it also appears in modern illustrations of intended personal growth.

Going Downstairs

Descending stairs illustrates going deeper into the unconscious. This is not only true for stairs but applies generally to the concept of moving upwards versus downwards (for example, Jacob's ladder to heaven and Alice's descent into Wonderland). Ladders, stairs, trees, and so on are thought to connect the underworld with the earth and the earth with the heavens.

Ambitions  

In more everyday contexts, descending the stairs may suggest coming down to earth, as in "getting down to reality." The staircase can symbolize ambition — striving to rise up or "make it" in some context. This can be grounded in reality or not. Climbing up can also imply a sense of being "on top," something vibrant and elevated, while descending has a more humbling, perhaps contemplative implication.

What Is Above Is Below  

However, it is important to note that, as alchemists said, "as above, so below." In mythological or archetypal contexts, the simple division described does not hold. Ascending to death, as suggested by the Egyptian stairway, does not imply "more awareness," but may equally represent "more (collective) unconsciousness." The same can be thought of in terms of descending: going down can represent, say, an expanded state of consciousness, just as "the unconscious" is both above and below, with gods dwelling in both the heavens and the underworld. 

It is common to dream of ghosts, burglars, and madmen in the basement, but also to dream of monsters in the attic. Unfortunately, the symbols of the unconscious are not as simple as we initially believe; one must understand the context.

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