Mankind has always given connotations to colors and other words so that it gives these words an emotional meaning as well. White for example has always been used to indicate "good" while the color black has been used to indicate "bad" or "evil". Although in real life, we can see situations where white is not always the "good" choice, such as in health where the five white poisons, white flour, white sugar, white salt, white fat and white milk are considered hazardous to our health. In spite of all that, white is usually considered "good".
Similarly black is considered "bad" although in bright sunlight, people whose colors are darker can survive longer and resist skin cancer. Also the sky is beautiful when the darkness sets in. Then we can see the thousands of twinkling stars that exist in our galaxy and the rest of the Universe. If darkness didn't set in, we would find it very difficult to sleep indeed. And without sleep, we would never survive very long.
However, "white" is still used by mankind to mean "good" and in most situations, a white witch means a good witch, one whose magick does not hurt anybody. In the story "The Chronicles of Narnia", however, the "White witch" is a villainous character. There is a 1970s rock band called the "White Witch", a DC comics Superhero "The white witch"who appeared in 1966 and a character in Jamaican folklore who was called "The White witch".
So what are the characteristics of a good witch? A good witch always thinks twice about her magickal intent. She makes her list and checks it twice (or more) just to make sure that no one gets hurt. "Black" magic, on the other hand is believed to be any ritual performed with the intent to hurt another. Black magic is practiced by people who don't realize that they can get the same effect by using positive intentions.
For example, if we are shamed by someone in our community, a white witch would work a spell so that this person who hurt us would realize that what s/he did was wrong and they would regret their behavior and learn from it. In a way, this attitude is more forgiving, solves the situation and also, at the same time, protects us from negative repercussions or the three-fold law.
However, a "black" witch would go ahead and start a curse or vengeful spell on the person who shamed them or hurt them. As a result of this negative spell, the person suffers and his/her anger increases while the witch receives three times the suffering s/he inflicted on the ignorant person. The problem is not solved and both suffer.
As we can understand, the way we deal with our problems has a high impact on our future happiness. A white witch thinks of the repercussions of each and every thought, word or action when it comes to spell working. This is the ONLY wise way to live and experience life. For those of us living a magickal life purposefully, there is only one path to go; the "White Witch" way.