Hello Jamie,
Welcome to the forums. There is a lot to learn. Do't worry about being gay and living in Oklahoma. I know a lot LGBT peoples in that state!
to get you started, here are some links you can read to learn more about African American folk magic. These web pages from cat yronwode's "Hoodoo in Theory and Practice" will provide you with some basic grounding in conjure and its cultural context.
Hoodoo History:
http://luckymojo.com/hoodoohistory.html
Hoodoo and Religion:
http://luckymojo.com/hoodooandreligion.html
Southern Spirits: 19th and 20th century documents on Hoodoo
http://southern-spirits.com
How to Use Oils in the Hoodoo Tradition:
http://luckymojo.com/oils.html
How to Use Baths, Waters, and Washes in the Hoodoo Tradition:
http://luckymojo.com/baths.html
How to Use Sachet Powders in the Hoodoo Tradition:
http://luckymojo.com/powders.html
How to Use Incense in the Hoodoo Tradition:
http://luckymojo.com/incense.html
How to Use Candles in the Hoodoo Tradition:
http://luckymojo.com/candlemagic.html
How to Use Herbs and Roots in the Hoodoo Tradition:
http://herb-magic.com
Conditions and how we can address them:
http://luckymojo.com/hoodooataglance.html
Here is some info on how the forums are set up. It is divided into four parts:
1) News and Announcements about the Lucky Mojo Curio Company and this site.
2) Lucky Mojo Spiritual Supplies and how to use them, listed in threads by product type and product title.
3) Life Conditions and Situations, with recommended Lucky Mojo products, spells, and advice.
4) The Online Hoodoo Community, including sites, events, and outreach sponsored by Lucky Mojo.
When you post, it helps your moderators, who are recompensed volunteers, if you post in the area of the board that is best suited to the archival of your question or comment. That way moderators will not have to move your post or merge it into ongoing threads.
If you can't find a post you made, it may have been moved or merged. Go to your profile by clicking on your name and "search recent posts" -- you will find it.
Within each board section there are STICKY threads -- ones that always stay "stuck" to the top. These are popular discussion-threads that you can read and add to if your questions or comments fall into one of these oft-broached topics. If you don't see a "sticky" that relates to your question, feel free to start a new thread in the relevant section.
We do have a few "thou shalt not" rules here, and they can be found in the Forum Rules link at the top of each page. Most important for newbies are these four common errors to avoid:
1) Please do not come here asking for our formulas for conjure oils or for instructions on how to use spiritual supplies that you bought at a grocery store or at a competitor of ours; this is the Lucky Mojo Forum and is financially supported by the Lucky Mojo Curio Co.
2) Please do not spam the moderators by sending multiple duplicated private messages asking for personal help outside the board; many of our moderators do perform readings and rootwork spell-casting for clients, but they are professionals and you should approach them as you would any other professional.
3) Please do not post illegal copies of material from other web sites or from books.
4) Please do not post put-downs of any group of people based on their religion, race, or national origin, including derogatory comments about religions to which you may have previously been an adherent or comments in which you seek to falsely conflate any religion with the practice of evil sorcery.
Oh by the way... My name is Jamie... good meeting you all:)
