"What we consider infirmity they saw as "divine infatuation" (ate).  They knew that this invisible incursion often brought ruin: so much so that the word ate would gradually come to mean "ruin."  But they also knew, and it was Sophocles who siad it, tat "mortal life can never have anything great about it except through ate." (Calasso p.93)


"The events of the night seemed in some way fictional; as if I must have been slightly drugged." (Fowles p. 135)


When I read the above line from The Magus I had one of those moments of recognition where I knew that there was something there that I had seen the likes of before.  I went back to my notes then back to Calasso and found what I was looking for.  It seems that our main character was having a moment where he was overcome by ate.   I love this explanation for those moments where a person feels that there is something outside influencing their actions.
I found it interesting though that there was a difference in the way Nicholas explained this feeling.  Instead of accepting it as a sign of an outside presence in the way the Greeks did, he attempts to rationalize.  It is as though so long as there is some logical explanation he can accept what happened.  His way of thinking allows for no magic to influence understanding.  The mythology of the situation seems to disturb him so he must put all situations in a context that he can explain away.  Urfe wants to remove the possibility of enchantment from his surroundings but I get the feeling that he will soon have to alter his way of thinking...