Jane Caputi, professor of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, is author of Gossips, Gorgons and Crones. She notes that, over the centuries, powerful female, mythological figures have been superceded by patriarchal symbols. This also correlates with the rise of the warrior mentality. Today, as we face the problems that our nuclear technology has created, there is an awakening of the old feminine spiritual powers. Caputi maintains that this is necessary in order to reactivate our numbed psyches and bring balance to our culture.