Scarlet Fan is a magical, mystical fantasy story for dancers-at-heart. Albeit light and lyrical, its themethe importance of balancing the outer with the inner, action with intuition, externalization with introspection (sun with moon, fire with water)is one whose relevance cannot be underestimated at this time when the imbalance of misdirected scattered fire energy does threaten to destroy this planet. The story is alive. It is visual and rich with verbal imagery. The reader, whether male or female, is lured to identify closely with the protagonist, Philomela (whose name literally means love song in Greek): her frustrations, confusion, the gamut of emotions and feelings she experiences as she undergoes the transformations necessary to reunite with her counterpart, the knight. The reader would derive inspiration from the words of Mars and Venus (embodiments of action and intuition respectively) and other mythical gods as they provide hope, encouragement, and guidance to assist Philomela in her unique quest. It is unique yet universal and one whose realization in this story suggests a glimpse of the beauty and power of the extraordinary destiny of our race. While the archetype of the proverbial knight in shining armor may be considered (and justifiably) to be outdated and redundant, it does play a vital role in Scarlet Fan. For the knight, when his fierce and fiery ways are directed and inspired by intuition (Venus), he is capable here of epitomizing one aspect of the true ideal, the male aspect, when balanced and whole. Only then doth the twain meet. In his words, intuition comes first from the water. (Its all inside us, but it cannot stay there forever.) Hence the focus is on Philomela, the embodied female. It is she who must summon her own firethe courage, will, and determination to delve into the deep and bring to the surface her subterranean talents. She must allow the waters of the subconscious mind to trickle out and nourish this barren soil. So yin meets yang, and powers within can sally forth into the world, like a beautiful rose with its petals unfurled. One sees the shining, magnificently velvety deep blood red of the outer petals. But one can only guess at the quintessence of its heart. Mystery prevails.