Going in the opposite direction of the passage of the Sun across the sky; also, going contrary to the direction that it ordinarily goes. Hair that stands on end is gone Widdershins. A cat will let you know fairly forthright if you are rubbing it Widdershins. Archaic english.

The most frequent use of this word is in Scotland, to mean counterclockwise.

In most cultures that have been long influenced by the presence of Buddhism, counter-clockwise movement is associated not so much with evil but rather as simply rude.

This comes from the ancient Indian traditions of worship of the sun and fire, and the continuance of that meme through Vedic and post-Vedic movements.

Thus in Buddhism, circumambulation of a stupa or a sacred site is always clockwise, "with the right shoulder towards it" as the Indian texts specify. (The right shoulder should also be bare, by the way.)

In Japan such Zen practices as kinhin or mindful walking and jokoh or incense offering have clock-wise movements as part of their process.

Log in or register to write something here or to contact authors.