What is the difference between a black witch and a black magician?
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Personal choice. Some will use these interchangeably, some will want to draw lines and say they are different. I think it’s a matter of semantics. 
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Come on 
A witch and a magician are two completely different things. This isn’t Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. Using those terms interchangeably doesn’t take into consideration the rich historical differences in the way and form Magick is practiced and the differing philosophy behind it.
I completely disagree is what I’m saying.
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A magician in general is more focused around working with through spirits or with spirts by means of a formalized ritual system of some sort. Whereas a witch practices form of magick that is somewhat less formal and more shamanistic. Neither is better than the other and generally comes down to skill level of the person practicing. Some witches far surpass many a magician and vice versa. Both are equally secretive. For a slightly better definition please refer to this video.
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I think it depends on whether it’s a personal setting or a social one.
If it’s a personal one, then it would be for framing myself and my.practice a certain way, but that would only apply to you. It’s not something that would help if you don’t care for labels.
If it’s a social one, then it probably doesn’t really matter. Why? Because it’s not worth having to try to convince/force everyone else to use it in your context (not saying you, personally, would). Plenty of more interesting things to share when together. Bit online, where everyone’s a refreshed page away, why not?
Besides, broader picture, if they’re casting for or against you, would that distinction matter?
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Ok guys us a shaman and witch the same thing? No, clearly not. @Mulberry you clearly distinguished what a native American medicine man was in comparison to a witch in a different thread very recently. Is a medicine man and a witch the same thing …no, clearly not.
Here’s where you get a little overlap. Both magician and witch try to work with nature’s existing laws and cycles to produce change in accordance with will. That’s true, we know that. The magician in my view is far superior to most witches ( note I said most not all. There are some real powerful practioners like Enoch Petrucelly that identify themselves as a witch, though he would be more of a classical styled witch).
I’ve met about three modern witches I couldn’t crush outright. That’s right I said it! It is what it is. The garden variety wiccan witch had about zero juice that I’ve witnessed.
Before I get jumped on for what I said I think it’s fair to say everyone has thier own experience and I’m not invalidating that with my assertion I’m just sharing with you what I’ve seen and I didn’t just get into the game yesterday.
Now I want to close with…
Would that distinction even matter. No… clearly again it would not.
For the record I did have my ass handed to me by a coven of witches and had to ask for assistance in getting my fat from the fire as they say.
But it was atleast 3 on 1 
Edit update
If you’re a witch with some juice this wasn’t intended to offend you I’m just keeping it real.
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Shamans have clear distinctions in lore amd practice, though.
I, personally, don’t feel I’m either. Though once upon a time, I wanted to be a priest.Then a shaman. Then a monk. So, I’m likely some mixture of the 5, but, in the end, the label wouldn’t affect how I approach things.
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Sounds to me that witchcraft is just an other word for sympathetic magick.
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It’s a large part of it yes.
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I would like to hear about this some other time later if you feel like sharing.
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At the end of the day I don’t think you can draw a solid line between the two, but I think you can loosely group them in modern times based on tendencies.
Modern witches tend to be more nature-based, are interested in developing strong, long-term working relationships with ancestors, fae, local spirits, and spirits of the land, practice in their kitchens and outdoors, have a heavy focus on hearth craft and folk magic, and when they leave their bodies they generally stick to the the lower and middle worlds (eg they visit underworlds or mess about in the physical realm, probably to spy on or haunt somebody). Some attend astral sabbaths.
Modern magicians tend to be more ceremonial, are interested in working with (or binding and subjugating) demons, angels, and djinn to amass personal power / assert their will, practice “high magic”, conduct elaborate rituals with formal garb and fancy tools, and when they leave their bodies generally travel to the upper world.
All of these can overlap. Not all witches are wiccans; wiccans can work with demons and bind spirits; magicians can be heavily invested in land magic and regularly practice “lower magic”; witches can be strongly influenced by ceremonial magic, and anyone can travel to any world / plane or find themselves at a witches’ sabbath.
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No. There are many kinds of magic in witchcraft, and not all of it is sympathetic. Witches can be spirit workers, diviners, shapeshifters, dream walkers, energy / plant-based healers, etc.
Why far superior? I have had no problem using witchcraft to fuck someone’s shit up completely, or to get what I want. Same with more ceremonial-style magic. Why is one far superior to the other?
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Actually, I think it is impossible for any modern Western witch not to be influenced by ceremonial magic. But some embrace and dive into it more than others. A strong desire to return to “ancient ways” and pre-christian traditions is a big hallmark of modern witchcraft. I don’t think that applies so much to modern magicians.
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I see you feel slighted or something, you’re entitled to your opinion like I am mine. My view ceremonial magick is superior is based purely on my experience.
You ( not you personally) can pray into a bowl of basil and howl at the moon like a dog if that’s what you’re into. I prefer the elegance and majesty of the ceremonial art and always will.
Not trying to be a dick but you asked that way so I’m telling you this way.
There’s a time and place for witchcraft and it’s a great place to start but witchcraft isn’t ceremonial magick and the two aren’t equals.
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This I do agree with though.
I would not say they are, no, but what I’m saying with the semantics comment, is they might say they are, and I don’t have an issue with that. I have an issue to universally applying the same language out of context.
Meh… Other people’s labels.
imo, labels are basically tools for communication. It doesn’t do to get hung up on them, because they have little use when no one else is around. This is agreeing with @anon39079500’s point. You’re still you doing you things.
So it helps to use other people’s definitions when talking directly to them so you can be best understood and have a good conversation that isn’t bogged down in misunderstanding. When you’re talking to some more people about them, not to them, then you should use the labels the new people use to be understood by them.
It’s also very helpful when looking for and reading books etc. by other people. You may have learned the same thing from a different current with different labels, but the info is the same, and it can be distracting when they call things the “wrong thing” but you don’t need that.
I.e., you use labels subjectively within context. they ae not “truth” nor absolutes. My expectation is, the Native American shaman was doing the same. They were (maybe) trying to use a label they though the western listener would understand, or, they were themselves confused about how western occultism generally views such things.
So in tis case, I am not talking to the self identified witch/shaman, I’m talking to an occultist in the context of western occultism.
One example is me, I tend to be lazy and call everyone doing magick “mages”. It’s mostly just quick to type 
I think a good example is Enoch Petruchelly, who calls himself a male witch, and wrote a book called Black Witch… he’s clearly a magician, conjuror, and/or sorcerer using Egyptian and grimoiric techniques. But Black Witch also makes sense.
I know what he means, and I’m in his target audience, so that’s plenty good enough.
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Ok @Mulberry I get what you were saying now and looking back at the above if I was a little abrasive I apologize and that’s for @anon88521623 too if offense was taken.
It’s difficult trying to make sense of all of this and there’s alot of overlap I completely agree with that.
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I do believe both terms vary vastly based on cultural upbringing…
For example the witches of central Africa are very different in comparison to the witches of old English and colonizers (like Salem, and Moll Dyer)
(Add: also doesn’t mean that all those different interpretations are wrong, and only one is right… Just more labels really 
)
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I did not feel slighted. I’m not sure how you got to this conclusion.
I don’t think this is a fair representation of witchcraft. One could also make unfair parallels about spotty virgin magicians jacking off onto sigils in oversized cloaks.
No offense taken. I never said I identified with one or the other.
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Although to be fair there’s nothing wrong with the bowl of basil and howling at the moon just as there’s nothing wrong with jacking off on a sigil
My personal favorite is dancing naked in the rain but I digress.
To keep this thread from becoming derailed
What are some of the Known differences???
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