When you draw the symbol of earth, you draw the tail down your wrist a few inches, then back up on the same line. When you draw the symbol of air, it says only to draw the tail as a line up along the line between your two middle fingers; it doesn't say to retrace it back down to the starting point. I feel like that is probably an omission in the original text, that it should be parallel, but what do I know?

-Translucent Jejune Octopus