clockwise

[coffeeman]

what myths and legends are associated with clockwise and anti clockwise?

[dot.hawkes]

MYTH: TORNADOES ALWAYS ROTATE COUNTER-CLOCKWISE

FACT: Most tornadoes rotate cyclonically, meaning that they spin counter-clockwise north of the equator and clockwise south of the equator. However, although such cases are extremely rare, some tornadoes rotate anti-cyclonically: clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

[RATTER15]

Its a myth that the hands on a clock always rotate clockwise, I was in a pub a while back and the number's ran anticlockwise and so did the hands, that is so confusing at the best of times, let alone when you are
p!!ssed.

[dot.hawkes]

Oh and I know from having been the Chich�n - Itz� (Mayan Peninsula) that the Mayan culture put alot of store by the stars and the planets and they used alot of clockwise patterns in their temples and building layout.

[Thunderbird+]

If you walk around the outside of a church, you should do so in a clockwise manner. Its considered bad luck if you go round ant-clockwise.

[JillP]

There are a lot of superstitions regarding clockwise and anti-clockwise. Seamen are notably superstitious and will not coil ropes or lines any other way but clockwise. Also coil a rope sunwise, as they say in the Maritimes of Canada.

[RATTER15]

Dot, out of interest, how do you know if a pattern is clockwise or anti clockwise?

[joko]

jennifer lopez always has her tea stirred in a certain direction. (don't know which)

she has been slated as a diva because she demands this but it is apparently an old superstition, not just fussyness.

[DaSwede]

Oh my god, I just googled 'c-ckwise.' By would anyone believe mistake.

Dot, may I answer Ratter's question please? As you're out having fun?

Ratter15, think of it as movement and you'll see that for instance the simplest spiral pattern may be clockwise or anti. More here.

[RATTER15]

I understand that a spiral could be clockwise or anticlockwise, depending on movement, as in your examples of clouds etc, but a spiral can be drawn in both direction, so if you didn't see the spiral being drawn how would you know whether it is clockwise or anti, is there a specific direction on a spiral which would be considered clockwise or anti, despite what direction it was drawn or grown or developed.

[DaSwede]

Well, Ratter15, as they say initially (on the page that the above link leads to), it is confusing. Personally I perceive the small, drawn spiral top right as a clockwise pattern, whereas they use it as an example of counterclockwise. The mere fact that they have to start out by defining what's what does sort of decide this matter in your favour...!

I think the thing with me is that when I see a drawn spiral I don't think of how it was drawn, I just (automatically) think of it as water slurping down the drain. If you do that, then there's no question of what's what, you just 'follow' the movement. But if you do not think of it as movement, then the nomenclature does seem rather arbitrary, I agree.

[Whickerman]

In traditional Witchcraft and Magick, a circle for 'good' ends is cast clockwise ('deosil') and for malignant ends anticlockwise ('widdershins').

[Octavius]

In medieval times, wool (and most other fibers) was spun clockwise. The superstition that spinning anti-clockwise was "evil" probably developed from the same idea that left-handed people were "sinister" (left-handed spinners tend to spin counter-clockwise).

[elpea]

if you enter a hindu or buddhist temple you should walk round it in a clockwise direction

[Octavius]

In what may be a deliberate rejection of a pagan ritualistic requirement the Stations of the Cross in Roman Catholic and Anglican churches are visited counterclockwise.

Muslim's in Mecca circle the Ka'aba seven times counter-clockwise.

In the ancient 'undoing ceremony - the 'ceremony of riddance' , there is a record that Welsh children suffering from internal disorders were 'dipped into a sacred well against the sun', and were then dragged three times around the well on the grass in the same direction. This accompanied by the wordless declaration by Irish warriors of their intent to 'undo' their enemies. Right to left (antic CW)motion was also considered to be evil, or a method of summoning the Devil, and therefore became common in 'black' magic.

Baseball runners go round counter clockwise, but there was a baseball baserunner who ran to third base - clockwise - instead of first, because he was attempting to undo the 'evil' that was making his team lose.