I think you're overestimating how much intentionality the shamans had.
In the past mankind was very limited in his understanding of his surroundings, and felt powerless to affect his destiny. Because of this helplessness, any hope or chance of affecting his surroundings was eagerly seized upon, whether it was hunting magic, attempts to control the weather, solstice and equinox ceremonies, healing rituals or what have you.
You say "seized upon" as if they were just sitting back waiting for just the right blend of discovery and ignorance to sink their teeth into. But they were a product of their cultures as well and would have had just as much ignorance.
Do you think some native american hid away and concocted a scheme to trick the other folks into believing his magic dance caused the rain? Or would you accept that its more likely the behavior emerged gradually over multiple shamans that unintentionally mistook correlation for causation?
And into this environment emerged the shamans (of all kinds) who opportunistically promised to fix things, to lure animals to the hunters, control the weather, provide the proper solstice and equinox ceremonies, heal the sick and so on. This is the origin of the "alternate realities" of which you write, brought to us by shamans.
How do you know it was opportunistically rather than, say, reluctantly? If the old shamans are adopting the new shamans then its harldy the new shamans fault.
But the slickest con ever perpetrated on mankind was the one put forth by those shamans promising eternal life.
How long down the long line of shamans did it take for them to start getting to this promise? If you look at it as some kind of memetic emergence, I don't see how it can rightfully be called a "con". Especially if they didn't do it on purpose and have been lead to believe their own hype.
If it turns out that one of your archeological finds was wrong, I wouldn't say you had pulled a con unless you deliberately tried to trick people.
In any other field of human endeavor such behavior would end up with the ones making those grandiose promises in jail or worse. Only in the realm of religion do the shamans (of all kinds) get a free pass to make the most outrageous promises, and profit thereby, while providing no evidence that they can deliver on their promises.
In law, you're innocent until proven guilty. You can't falsify their claims to establish guilt.
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