The ladder is among the most ubiquitously recognized symbols of transformation. Like the wheel, the ladder's symbolic meaning transcends any single period of history or culture.
Here are three examples (The Book of Symbols, 2010) of how diverse cultures recognize the symbolic, transformative meaning of the ladder:
The Dogon people of Mali placed small, hand-carved wooden ladders against ceramic jars on their household altars. These ladders enable the souls of their dead to climb into the afterlife to join their ancestors.
According to Shamanic traditions from India, Tibet, and Siberia, the ladder facilitates ascension into the trans-personal spirit world, allowing the Shaman to access healing powers beyond the limitations of time and space.
In Christianity, Islam, Orphism, and Mithraism (among others), the ladder symbolizes spiritual development, mystical assent, and salvation.
The ladder is a premier example of the multifaceted meaning system encoded within the objects that occupy our daily lives. We often take these objects for granted as merely serving a material or technological purpose. When we take time to contemplate the mystery of their spiritual and psychological meaning, we elicit Wonder as we perceive the transcendent meaning hiding within these familiar objects.
So, next time you see someone standing on a ladder, I hope you stop and contemplate this representation of our shared human condition, rising and falling, balancing the risks of leaving the stable ground behind to achieve a higher purpose.