I've been overwhelmed with the spirit lately. A near-perfect feeling of being content, peaceful, and well. A feeling so strong that I just want to do good. A feeling of complete and utter beauty. My heart feels warm, and my mind feels clear.

What I just described sounds familiar to a Christian describing the spirit they feel, right?

The spirit I feel is different.

I don't even like to call it "the spirit", but I looked up word after word trying to find something different and there's just nothing. So I'm gonna call it "the energy." I've been overwhelmed with the energy lately.

I can't call it a spirit when I don't believe in God, or the Holy Ghost, right? And when people ask me what I believe in, I usually just say "energy". It's the only thing that makes sense to me about the universe and being alive. Energy.

If you're confused, or maybe just concerned that I'm a huge hippy, let me give you my point of view. I love the universe. By saying that, I'm saying that I love everything that makes up life. I love feeling connected to a place that makes most people feel so small. I love when I feel the energy so strongly that I can comprehend even the smallest portion of meaning behind the universe. I love thinking about the stars while I gaze at them, knowing that we are descendants of such beautiful things. I simply just love the powerful sense of connectivity to a horizon so deep.

That's my "spirit". Maybe you get yours by reading the scriptures or praying. Or going to church or paying your tithing. By following commandments from God. But I get mine from the universe. From being in nature, learning about the poetic place that we live in, and understanding that I will
never understand everything.