Deosil

From Traditional Witchcraft Wiki Project

Deosil, or deasil, is a word that means sun-wise and derives from the Scots Gaelic deas, meaning "south", thus literally rendered it means to move southways, but specifically in a sun-wise fashion, that is to say in a direction following the apparent course of the sun.

In Scottish folklore this was considered a lucky and prosperous course, and may relate to the positive virtues ascribed also to the right (or dextral) hand as opposed to the negative virtues ascribed to the left (or sinistral) hand. Accordingly, many circling rituals follow a deasil movement for beneficent purposes, and a withershins (or tuathal) direction for sinister purposes, which is crystallised in folklore as a means of summoning the Devil. Examples of this are going round a place from east to west during a funeral procession, when going to a sacred well to draw water and as a charm to protect a thing against fire, malevolent witchcraft and so forth.