A lot in what you say makes practical sense, Votive, and hopefully illumination too!
Whether the weary Chowkidaar ji pedals one push after another out of duty or out of love for the villagers or false sense of care-taking (what will they do without me?) or simply love of duty is only for a true keeper of peace and law under oath to tell us about. What is it that motivates someone given to that way of life and living despite its obvious and daily-in-one's-face reality!
Perhaps you are right and the moon chart was just an excuse for astronomical obfuscation, if not ignorance! Please never utter that in one of the fundamentalistic temples, though!
Sudarshana chart gives the hint, I believe.
One can approach reality from three perspectives:
Soul -- does not require astrologics, but connection with the soul through intuition. Kind of like giving up the soul and not trying to use it as the driver.
Mind -- does not require too much precision and calculation but does need one to give up controlling the mind and not trying to use it as the driver. Nostradamus and the prophetic poets perhaps grasped that and Ghaag about whom KN Rao has written somewhere.
Physical Reality -- Most of us know that very well! This is where the play structure of astrology exists and where we play and fight and strong arm others -- as if this will be forever and we will never leave this reality, of our own making and innocent lack of understanding!
It is strange that as we ascend the ladder of the Sudarshana, step by step, meaningless as it may feel at times, if we took the time to look around, the *VIEW* around and below keeps getting better and better
