> What I discovered instead was an irrational culture with an immature fascination for shamanism

Hilarious revelation to have from a trip. I never put it like that in my mind, but I feel kind of similar.

My take is.. people want an external locus of control and/or instructions on how to live so bad that in the modern bent towards Atheism/Agnosticism, they transfer that responsibility elsewhere (star signs, tarot cards, psychedelics, their political party, some 'expert'..)