I think everything in the Universe is one united thing that repeats itself, Daylia, like a hologram. Therefore, why should not such patterns of destiny be detectable in an astrological chart, a leaf, the wind, tea leaves, the palm, anywhere...if you have the awareness to spot it?

This doesn't mean that traditional astrology will make any sense according to the rules of science as we know them.

I've seen readings done by people who had a gift for it, and I was impressed. I've seen charts done by other people, and I was bored out of my skull. As far as I'm concerned, the practitioner is everything, and the system is a formality that someone made up...like a dance. It may appeal to your taste, it may not.

No, it doesn't matter if the subject of the chart believes in astrology or not. Not at all. What matters is that the practitioner has the right sensitivity to use the formal structure of the chart in such a way that it produces something meaningful. That's dependent on the practitioner, in my opinion, not on the system itself, but the system is a handy way of organizing the process....same as a tarot deck is...or any other such system.

Consciousness is the key to life. Formalized systems are just a way of translating consciousness into familiar symbols.