> Wolf "or wait, maybe we're talking about some sort of invisible Deus ex machina, God in
> the machine" spirit

Nonononono, "deus ex machina" means "God *out of* the machine".

The deus ex machina is the bit at the end of a bad play where God (or a god) descends from the ceiling via a clever winch mechanism and solves everyone's problems for them, because the playwright hasn't a clue how to do a real ending.

Paul