The Masonic Ladder and the Great Chain of Being

by Bro. William Steve Burkle KT, 32, Scioto Lodge No. 6, Chillicothe, G.L. of F.&A.M. of Ohio. This paper examines the esoteric symbolism of the Masonic Ladder and will develop the thesis that the Masonic Ladder’s esoteric meaning derives from an ancient concept dealing with the hierarchal ordering of the universe known as the Great Chain of Being.