Stairs are often an indication of the steps we must take in order to achieve a goal. Climbing the stairs is indicative of the effort that we must make in order to have access to the more mystical, spiritual side of our being. More simply, it is the exertion we practise in our everyday life ? the effort to be ourselves. Conversely, in order to have access to the hidden, unconscious side of ourselves, we need to ?go downstairs? into the unconscious. A golden staircase is such a basic image, with so many interpretations, that particular attention needs to be paid both to other aspects of the dream, and also our spiritual state at that specific time. Largely it represents a 'death', but not necessarily a physical death. It is more the realization that we no longer need to function solely within the physical or material realms but can move towards a more fulfilling life. It is a way out of the mundane.