<P> Predictions have often been made, from antiquity until the present, by using paranormal or supernatural means such as prophecy or by observing omens . Methods including water divining, astrology, numerology, fortune telling, interpretation of dreams, and many other forms of divination, have been used for millennia to attempt to predict the future . These means of prediction have not been proven by scientific experiments . </P> <P> In literature, vision and prophecy are literary devices used to present a possible timeline of future events . They can be distinguished by vision referring to what an individual sees happen . The New Testament book of Revelation (Bible) thus uses vision as a literary device in this regard . It is also prophecy or prophetic literature when it is related by an individual in a sermon or other public forum . </P> <P> Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual . It is an integral part of witchcraft and has been used in various forms for thousands of years . Diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency, most often describe as an angel or a god though viewed by Christians and Jews as a fallen angel or demon . </P> <P> Fiction (especially fantasy, forecasting and science fiction) often features instances of prediction achieved by unconventional means . </P>

What other tools are necessary besides statistics to accurately perform predictions