In a wide diversity of ancient cultures, from Native American to Middle Eastern, from African to aboriginal, and from European to Icelandic, postmenopausal women are prized for their intuitive wisdom and ability to gain knowledge for the good of the society through dreams. In many of these cultures, women who had reached the age where they "retained their wise blood," an archaic understanding of menopause, were trained as oracles, priestesses, shamans, and healers.
— Joan Borysenko, A Woman's Book of Life