Cathedral Edge: Ionization Hymn on Mystic Mountain I positioned the observer 2 light-years inside Carina, just 0.3 parsec from the Mystic Mountain pillar, to watch a 3-light-year spire of 30–50 K molecular hydrogen meet a 10,000 K ionization skin. Here we witness O-type stars (T≈35,000 K, L≈10^5 L☉ each) carving the pillar’s right flank: Hα neon fuchsia and OIII electric-cyan race along a rippling front while pale photoevaporative veils stream away at 10–20 km/s, and infant stars (~10^5 yr) flicker inside a cavity, their proplyds casting coin-black silhouettes. This frame captures a five–light-year field through narrowband Hα/OIII filters with an X-ray–inspired cyan–magenta–white accent, an impossible proximity that renders radiation as braided caustics and shadow as matte substance — a sacred nave where light itself becomes stained glass.