diff -r f4ba1d08a00c javafx-ui-common/src/com/sun/javafx/scene/text/TextLayout.java
--- a/javafx-ui-common/src/com/sun/javafx/scene/text/TextLayout.java	Mon Nov 19 17:00:44 2012 -0800
+++ b/javafx-ui-common/src/com/sun/javafx/scene/text/TextLayout.java	Tue Nov 20 16:50:36 2012 -0800
@@ -17,7 +17,8 @@
     static final int FLAGS_HAS_COMPLEX      = 1 << 4;
     static final int FLAGS_HAS_EMBEDDED     = 1 << 5;
     static final int FLAGS_WRAPPED          = 1 << 6;
-    static final int FLAGS_LAST             = 1 << 7;
+    static final int FLAGS_RTL_BASE         = 1 << 7;
+    static final int FLAGS_LAST             = 1 << 8;
 
     static final int ANALYSIS_MASK = FLAGS_LAST - 1;
 
diff -r f4ba1d08a00c javafx-ui-common/src/javafx/scene/text/Text.java
--- a/javafx-ui-common/src/javafx/scene/text/Text.java	Mon Nov 19 17:00:44 2012 -0800
+++ b/javafx-ui-common/src/javafx/scene/text/Text.java	Tue Nov 20 16:50:36 2012 -0800
@@ -138,7 +138,6 @@
      * Creates an empty instance of Text.
      */
     public Text() {
-        setNodeOrientation(NodeOrientation.LEFT_TO_RIGHT);
         InvalidationListener listener = new InvalidationListener() {
             @Override public void invalidated(Observable observable) {
                 checkSpan();
@@ -146,6 +145,13 @@
         };
         parentProperty().addListener(listener);
         managedProperty().addListener(listener);
+        // I need effective orientation here
+//        nodeOrientationProperty().addListener(new InvalidationListener() {
+//            @Override public void invalidated(Observable observable) {
+//                
+//            }
+//        });
+//        setNodeOrientation(NodeOrientation.LEFT_TO_RIGHT);
         setPickOnBounds(true);
     }
 
@@ -180,6 +186,24 @@
         isSpan = isManaged() && getParent() instanceof TextFlow;
     }
 
+    @Deprecated
+    public void impl_transformsChanged() {
+        //this is bad but it only here till I get effective orientation property 
+        super.impl_transformsChanged();
+        if (!isSpan()) {
+            if (getEffectiveNodeOrientation() == NodeOrientation.RIGHT_TO_LEFT) {
+                layout.setDirection(TextLayout.DIRECTION_RTL);
+            } else {
+                layout.setDirection(TextLayout.DIRECTION_LTR);
+            }
+            needsTextLayout();
+        }
+    }
+
+    public boolean isAutomaticallyMirrored() {
+        return false;
+    }
+
     private void needsFullTextLayout() {
         if (isSpan()) {
             /* Create new text span every time the font or text changes
@@ -235,6 +259,11 @@
             layout.setContent(string, font);
             layout.setAlignment(getTextAlignment().ordinal());
             layout.setWrapWidth((float)getWrappingWidth());
+            if (getEffectiveNodeOrientation() == NodeOrientation.RIGHT_TO_LEFT) {
+                layout.setDirection(TextLayout.DIRECTION_RTL);
+            } else {
+                layout.setDirection(TextLayout.DIRECTION_LTR);
+            }
         }
         return layout;
     }