angel's ladder

noun7

1. •
   A ladder leading to heaven.

   • She thought of Jacob, with his pillow of stone and his angel's ladder, and then raised her thoughts in prayer. — 1867
2. •
   (figurative) A way to be worthy of heaven; virtue or virtuous living.

   • Prayer was in his eyes an angel's ladder to the heavens, and the shining path by which all blessings descend to the lowly soul. — 1901
3. •
   (figurative) A chain of reasoning or actions that progresses to something sublime.

   • To him, phenomena were but the indications of a power whence they proceeded; the angel's ladder which leads from the world of fact to the heaven of principle, was never absent from his consciousness. — 1859
4. •
   A ray of sunlight descending from between clouds.

   • Phenomena such as angel's ladders, sun dogs, & the coloration of everyday objects will will illustrate the occurence^([sic]) of these different frequencies. — 1999
5. •
   A flowering plant of the genus Polemonium.

   • Give me Consolation; and the Angel's Ladder: And the bright blue flow'r of Happiness, streaked with gold, That blooms only on the hill top; never in crowds: Remember , how happy she was with us. — 1894
6. •
   Synonym of Jacob's ladder.
7. •
   (figurative) A tall, craggy, cliff.

   • When on the summit, we had gone part way Up angel's ladders, toward eternal day. — 1879