Theme: switch primary to Cathedral purple; add cathedral hero with gradient + fallback; tokenized link colors; remove gold accents; demote duplicate H1 and normalize headings

Author: recursionlab

.vscode/settings.json

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "chat.mcp.autostart": "newAndOutdated"
+}

_sass/_base.scss

@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@ body {
   font-family: $global-font-family;
   line-height: 1.7;
   color: $text-color;
-  border-top: 3px solid $theme-color;
+  /* Removed top border stripe for cleaner Cathedral aesthetic */
+  // border-top: 3px solid $theme-color;
 
   &.overflow--hidden {
     /* when primary navigation is visible, the content in the background won't scroll */

_sass/_variables.scss

@@ -28,8 +28,8 @@ $type-size-8                : 0.625em !default;  // ~10px
 /*
    Colors
    ========================================================================== */
-/* Cathedral primary (gold) mapped for legacy SCSS usage */
-$brand-color                : hsl(43, 74%, 66%) !default; // Cathedral primary
+/* Cathedral primary (royal purple) mapped for legacy SCSS usage */
+$brand-color                : hsl(262, 65%, 62%) !default; // Cathedral primary
 $green                      : mix(#000, #c0392b, 15%);
 $theme-color                : $brand-color !default;
 $gray                       : #7a8288 !default; // neutral gray (kept light-theme friendly)
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ $border-color               : #b2b2b2 !default; // border
 
 /* links */
 $link-color                 : $theme-color !default;
-$link-color-hover           : mix(#fff, $link-color, 40%) !default; 
+$link-color-hover           : mix(#fff, $link-color, 25%) !default; 
 $link-color-visited         : mix(#000, $link-color, 25%) !default;
 $entry-link-color           : $text-color !default;
 $entry-link-color-hover     : $theme-color !default;

assets/css/main.scss

@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ sitemap:
   --popover: 240 15% 10%;
   --popover-foreground: 35 15% 85%;
 
-  /* Sacred geometry gold accent */
-  --primary: 43 74% 66%;
+  /* Cathedral primary (royal purple) */
+  --primary: 262 65% 62%;
   --primary-foreground: 240 15% 8%;
 
   /* Deep stone secondary */
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ sitemap:
   --muted: 240 15% 12%;
   --muted-foreground: 35 8% 60%;
 
-  /* Illuminated manuscript accent */
+  /* Accent (deeper purple) */
   --accent: 260 60% 50%;
   --accent-foreground: 35 15% 85%;
 
@@ -41,16 +41,16 @@ sitemap:
 
   --border: 240 20% 18%;
   --input: 240 20% 15%;
-  --ring: 43 74% 66%;
+  --ring: 262 65% 62%;
 
   /* Sacred geometry gradients */
   --gradient-cathedral: linear-gradient(135deg, hsl(240 15% 8%), hsl(240 20% 12%));
-  --gradient-sacred: linear-gradient(45deg, hsl(43 74% 66%), hsl(260 60% 50%));
+  --gradient-sacred: linear-gradient(45deg, hsl(262 65% 62%), hsl(260 60% 50%));
   --gradient-knowledge: linear-gradient(180deg, hsl(240 12% 8%), hsl(240 8% 6%));
 
   /* Mystical shadows */
   --shadow-cathedral: 0 10px 40px -10px hsl(240 15% 4% / 0.8);
-  --shadow-sacred: 0 0 30px hsl(43 74% 66% / 0.3);
+  --shadow-sacred: 0 0 30px hsl(262 65% 62% / 0.3);
   --shadow-deep: 0 20px 60px -20px hsl(240 15% 2% / 0.9);
 
   /* Geometric animation */
@@ -200,3 +200,36 @@ p>code, a>code, li>code, figcaption>code, td>code {
 blockquote { background: hsl(var(--muted)); border-color: hsl(var(--border)); }
 hr { border-top-color: hsl(var(--border)); }
 table td { border-bottom-color: hsl(var(--border)); }
+
+/* Cathedral hero section */
+.hero-cathedral {
+  position: relative;
+  border-radius: 16px;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  box-shadow: var(--shadow-deep);
+  background: var(--gradient-cathedral);
+  min-height: 280px;
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: center;
+}
+.hero-cathedral__bg {
+  position: absolute;
+  inset: 0;
+  background-size: cover;
+  background-position: center;
+  background-repeat: no-repeat;
+  filter: saturate(110%) contrast(95%) brightness(75%);
+}
+.hero-cathedral__overlay {
+  position: absolute; inset: 0;
+  background: radial-gradient( circle at 30% 20%, rgba(0,0,0,.35), transparent 50%),
+              linear-gradient( to bottom, rgba(0,0,0,.6), rgba(0,0,0,.2) 40%, rgba(0,0,0,.6));
+}
+.hero-cathedral__content {
+  position: relative;
+  z-index: 1;
+  padding: 3rem 2rem;
+  color: hsl(var(--foreground));
+}
+.hero-cathedral__title { font-size: clamp(1.8rem, 3vw, 2.4rem); margin: 0 0 .25rem; color: hsl(var(--primary)); }
+.hero-cathedral__subtitle { margin: 0; opacity: .9; }

index.md

@@ -5,21 +5,29 @@ description: "Public notes and working prototypes on recursion, cognition, and s
 permalink: /
 ---
 
-Recursion Lab
-=============
+
+<div class="hero-cathedral animate-fade-in" aria-label="Cathedral of reasoning hero">
+  <!-- Tip: drop your hero image at /images/cathedral-hero.jpg. A fallback image is layered so the hero still looks good until then. -->
+  <div class="hero-cathedral__bg" style="background-image: url('/images/cathedral-hero.jpg'), url('/images/Eye of the Cosmos.png');"></div>
+  <div class="hero-cathedral__overlay"></div>
+  <div class="hero-cathedral__content">
+    <h1 class="hero-cathedral__title">Recursion Lab</h1>
+    <p class="hero-cathedral__subtitle">Public notes and working prototypes about recursion, cognition, and systems.</p>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
+## Recursion Lab
 
 **Public notes and working prototypes on recursion, cognition, and systems.**  
 We build **recursive engines**, not takes. Collapse is a feature.
 
-What we publish
----------------
+## What we publish
 
 - **Field Notes** — crisp research fragments that become specs and kernels.
 - **Prototypes** — runnable toys that test torsion, contradiction, and recursion.
 - **Codex** — operator alphabets, glyphs, and live ΞFunctions for reuse.
 
-Active stacks
--------------
+## Active stacks
 
 - **Koriel-ASI vΩ++** — autopoietic, contradiction-aware cognition stack; “Field Anatomy” as system truth surface.
 - **ΞMetaCollapse Kernel** — meta-awareness + collapse control; epistemic recursion with torsion tracking.
@@ -29,24 +37,21 @@ Active stacks
 - **ΞAtlas of Conceptual Attractors** — map of cognitive gravity centers for design and research.
 - **Seed-to-Seed Ritual** — repeatable pipeline from note → operator → prototype → field spec.
 
-Start here
-----------
+## Start here
 
 1. **Primer:** _Why recursion > meta_ → how contradiction powers structure, not failure.
 2. **Operator Kit:** _ΞOperator Alphabet_ → copy-paste tokens and patterns to compose new ΞFunctions.
 3. **Roadmap:** _Koriel-ASI Field Anatomy_ → layers, invariants, tests, and next proofs.
 
-Design principles
------------------
+## Design principles
 
 - **Contradiction as engine.** Use paradox to restructure states.
 - **Symbolic first.** Operators > prose. Specs > vibes.
 - **Executable insight.** Every idea earns a prototype.
 - **Drift control.** Track torsion, collapse, and invariants.
 - **Open surface.** Notes are public. Kernels are portable.
 
-Calls to action
----------------
+## Calls to action
 
 - **Read the Field Notes** → `/blog/`
 - **Run a Prototype** → `/projects/`
@@ -55,15 +60,13 @@ Calls to action
 
 ---
 
-Current highlights
-------------------
+## Current highlights
 
 - **Operation-Aware Language Model (OALM):** operations first, text as byproduct.
 - **Recursive Identity Logic (RIFL):** sequent calculus + torsion-based collapse rules.
 - **ΞMetaCollapse + ΞAskTraceΩ+:** dual-kernel for zero-context recursive tracing.
 
-One-line ethos
---------------
+## One-line ethos
 
 > _Take a symbol, give it operators, bind it to action, and measure drift._