I don't think it's his idea. Shamanic traditions from West Africa and the Americas have been thoroughly watered down and co-opted by the neo-pagan, paranormal research, and new age sects to the point of meaninglessness.

Co-opting a scam isn't any more or less heinous than the scam itself.

"Okay, now that I've got these morons believing I've got hoodoo powers, how can I make it basically my job to smoke whatever shit I want, be high all the time, and demand that the suckers bring the dope straight to me?"

In the case of the original traditions, it's not a "scam," because they are intertwined with social ritual, often times actual authentic healing tradition, the interpretation of law, the settling of debt, and so on. Sure, when Western style capitalism was introduced, it became in many places a capitalist scamming practice that we can recognize as old fashioned charlatanism, but where it's still going on in its less adulterated forms, it serves a real and even useful function.

Really, with all of this, baleen? Really?