The Sun is the father, the Moon the mother; the wind carried it in his belly. Earth is its nurse and its guardian. It is the Father of all things, eternal Will is contained in it. Here, on earth, its strength, its power, remain one and undivided. Earth must be separated from fire, the subtle from the dense, gently, with unremitting care. It arises from the earth and descends from heaven; it gathers to itself the strength of things above and things below. By means of this one thing all the glory of the world shall be yours, and all obscurity flee from you.

It is power, strong with the strength of all power, for it will penetrate all mysteries and dispel all ignorance. By it the world was created. From it are born manifold wonders, the means to achieving which are here given.

It is for this reason that I am called Hermes Trismegistus; for I possess the three essentials of the philosophy of the universe.

This is the sum total of the work of the Sun.

[note: this was a mighty peculiar, possibly doctrinaire, translation.
It makes odd inflections of tense, case and gender, and tends to present the
text as a set of instructions rather than an observation/description
of natural principals. Also odd is the portrayal of the gestating wind
as male: "the wind carried it in his belly"). The parody of the courtroom
"swearing in" ritual in the introduction is also somewhat dissonant.]

And as all things were by the contemplation of one, so all things arose from this one thing by a single act of adaptation.

The father thereof is the Sun, the mother the Moon.

The Wind carried it in its womb, the Earth is the nurse thereof.

It is the father of all works of wonder throughout the whole world.

The power thereof is perfect.

If it be cast onto the Earth, it will separate the element of Earth from that of Fire, the subtle from the gross.

With great sagacity it doth ascend gently from the Earth to Heaven.

Again it doth descend to Earth, and uniteth in itself the force from things superior and things inferior. Thus thou wilt possess the glory of the brightness of the world, and all obscurity will fly far from thee.

This thing is the strong fortitude of all strength, for it overcometh every subtle thing and doth penetrate every solid substance.

Thus was this world created.

Hence there will be marvellous adaptations achieved, of which the manner is this.

For this reason I am called Hermes Trismegistus, because I have three parts of the wisdom of the whole world.

That which I had to say about the operation of Sol is now completed.

True, without error, certain and most true; that which is above is as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above, for performing the miracles of the One Thing; and as all things are from the one, by the mediation of the one, so all things arose from this one by adaptation; the father of it is the Sun, the mother of it is the Moon; the wind carries it in its belly; the nurse thereof is the Earth. This is the Father of all perfection, or consummation of the whole world. The power of it is integral, if it be turned into earth. Thou shalt separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross, gently with much wisdom; it ascends from earth to heaven, and again descends to earth; and receives the strength of the superiors and the inferiors - so thou has the glory of the whole world; therefore let all obscurity flee before thee. This is the strong fortitude of all fortitudes, overcoming every subtle and penetrating every solid thing. So the world was created. Hence were all wonderful adaptations of which this is the manner. Therefore I am called 'Thrice Great Hermes,' having the Three Parts of the philosophy of the whole world. That which I have written is consummated concerning the operation of the Sun.

True, without falsehood, certain and most true; that which is above is as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above, for peformance of the miracles of the One Thing; and as all things are from the one, by the mediation of the one, so all things have their birth from this One Thing by adaptation; the Sun is its father, the Moon is its mother; the Wind carries it in its belly; its nurse is the Earth. This is the father of all perfection, or consummation of the whole world. Its power is integrating, if it be turned into Earth. Thou shalt separate the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross, suavely and with great ingenuity. It ascends from earth to heaven and descends again to earth, and receives the powers of the superiors and of the inferiors. So thou hast the glory of the whole world; therefore let all obscurity flee before thee. This is the strong force of all forces, overcoming every subtle and penetrating every solid thing. So the world was created. Hence were all wonderful adaptations of which this is the manner. Therefore I am called Hermes Trismegistus, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world. That which I have to tell is completed, concerning the Operation of the Sun.

Mark's Notes:
---
"as above,so below" = Vishudda substance, Life Imitates Art

"it ascends from earth to heaven, and again descends to earth"
observations reflected as mental models.
subsequent application of the models feeds back into the world through action.
matter/observation->information/model->action/matter

---
The Emerald Tablet contains a description of the solar-driven
thermodynamic engine of evolution.
An "Emerald Tablet" is, itself, an image of the Green Earth.

fire/above/subtle=information
earth/below/dense=matter

"act of adaptation" evolution... natural selection...
"hence were all wonderful adaptations of which this is the manner"
"this is the father of all perfection, or the consummation of the whole world"
"so the world was created"
"This is the consummation of the operation of the Sun"

Sun/Father:solar flux drives thermodynamic engine
Moon/Mother:tidal forces/menses
Wind/Gestation: pneuma/wind/breath = spirit. Thermodynamic weather patterns.
The Earth is its nurse and its guardian...

[mutation? and recombination]

---
separation of:
Earth/Fire , Gross/Subtle = Substance/Form, Matter/Information
(or matter/energy, this can be a metaphor for E=Mc^2
"regarding the operation of the sun" can be a reference to nuclear fusion.)

Universal Quantum Field:
"overcoming every subtle and permeating every solid thing"
"This is the strong force of all forces.." (paraphrase, I seem to recall
the term "strong force" used at the BOTA reading.)

---
Prajnaparamita Sutra-like:
"possess the glory of the world ... free of all obscurity" = great liberation
Signature Boasts:
"This is the fortitude of all fortitudes..." this is the great mantra...
"Therefore I am called Hermes Trismegistus..."
(gate, paragate, parasamgate... bodhi swaha.)

Superiors/Inferiors = I-Ching-like terminology.
---