An atheist recognizing himself as a spiritual person is not something most atheists would do. He explains the word "spirit" by connecting it with the ability to see beauty, to feel wonder and to be in awe. From an atheist's perspective, he sees religion and faiths as a ball and chain that constricts the human's natural ability to imagine faith for themselves. Religion and faith serve as an attempt to break down and understand something that is incomprehensible.
Being atheist does not exclude the ability to have spiritual experiences. The narrator talks about a time when he stared into the vastness of the stars, and realizes how mysteriously infinite space is; which was a very humbling experience. Most humans are too caught up with what they already know that they are ignorant to mystery and the unknown. Science and reason can explain most of what religion has defined as acts of a "God", but nothing can explain the imagination and the human being's ability to create their own faith.
