by Tom Huber
Gregory Bateson coined the phrase – “the pattern that connects” back in the 1970s to describe an aesthetic whose core principle is one of unity. It signaled a paradigm shift away from reductionism to a holistic, synergistic worldview where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Everything in nature is connected, which includes the mind and actions of humans. This paper seeks to elaborate on this principle as it pertains to the natural building method of cordwood masonry at Cedar Eden, a hobbit-scale farm in Potsdam, New York. There are many reasons why humans build structures using cordwood masonry. Perhaps the greatest of these is the psychic drive to create beauty as a type of harmonious interaction with the natural world. Perhaps this drive in some is as strong as the drive to procreate; both involve a creative impulse to bring something new into the world. 
Cordwood masonry, quite simply, is the pattern that connects at Cedar Eden. The property consists of 69 acres in total with about 40 acres forested primarily in Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis). This species is also referred to as the American Arborvitae or Tree of Life due to the medicinal properties of the sap, bark, and twigs. For those of us in the cordwood construction community, white cedar is one of the most desirable choices of cordwood due to its natural decay resistance, high insulative value, fast drying and low shrinkage properties.
It is also a beautiful wood to work with, given its wonderful “cedary” smell and ease of removing the bark when cut in early spring and throughout the growing season. Personal confession – I have a love affair with cedar!
Knowing that I possessed a strong motivation to continue building with stone and cordwood (like previously in Michigan), the prodigious piles of stone and the considerable cedar forest strongly suggested the rightness of purchasing land north of the Adirondack Park in St. Lawrence County. The rich soils, open sky with meadow views, wind power potential, and ample rainfall also promised a good fit for homestead living. These are all critical elements in the larger whole when I refer to “The Land” or “Cedar Eden.” To the degree that I understand and stay true to these life-enhancing, complex, interrelated patterns one could say that my habitation on The Land is successful. To the degree that I live in a way that only supports the human side of the great interplay of life, it could be said that such building projects are unsuccessful or miss the mark. In this paper, I will discuss some of the larger principles and patterns that inform a way of being in this particular place while also making mention of some of the particularities related to an evolved form of cordwood masonry involving cellulose enhanced mortar.