Isabel Holbrook

UNDER CONSTRUCTION
UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Isabel B. Holbrook was a prominent American worker in the American Theosophical Society and in Co-Freemasonry.

Early life and career

Miss Holbrook was born in Rockland, Massachusetts, on October 13, 1863 as the daughter of Turner Reed Holbrook and Lydia Jane Holbrook. "She attended the local schools and later the Bridgewater Normal. Following her graduation she taught for a number of years, specializing in biology and the natural sciences."

Theosophical Society activities

Membership records for Isabel Holbrook are incomplete. She was definitely a member of the American Theosophical Society well before 1913, when some membership records were lost in a fire.

Krotona in Hollywood

She was an early resident of Krotona in Hollywood, and taught classes at the Krotona Institute. She and Fritz Kunz presented "Science and Theoosphy Correlated." She was a active in the Krotona Hollywood Lodge after it was founded on February 21, 1913.

In 1916 Miss Holbrook served as National Secretary of the Society, appointed by president A. P. Warrington, but she resigned from that position at the start of 1917. In 1920 she conducted a program of providing food aid to Europe, under the direction of former ATS president Dr. Weller Van Hook.

By 1920 she had moved back to Chicago, where she lived with her older brother Elliot. Then on June 30, 1923, after moving back to Rockland, she joined the Annie Besant Lodge in Boston, which was the ATS lodge nearest to her home.

Involvement in Co-Freemasonry

Universal Masonry

Cornerstone ceremony at Krotona. 1912. Miss Holbrook at left.

No information is available about when Miss Holbrook became involved with Co-Freemasonry, but it clearly became very important to her. in 1910, Holbrook moved to Chicago to work on a new Masonic magazine:

Mrs. Minnie C. Holbrook and Miss Helen Jasper Swain, of New York City, and Miss Isabel B. Holbrook of Providence, Rhode Island, have taken up residence in Chicago for rhe purpose of editing and conduxting a new Masonic journal to be entitled "Universal Masonry" and to be published by the Rajput Press.

"Universal Masonry" is to deal with the subject of Masonry from the point of view of its esoteric origin and meaning.

Krotona Hall ceremony

By early 1912, Holbrook had moved to Krotona in Hollywood, the new headquarters for the Esoteric Section of the Theosophists in the United States. It also became the headquarters of the American Theosophical Society, the Co-FreemasonryCo-Masonic Order]], the Order of the Temple of the Rosy Cross, and the Order of the Star in the East. Like most of the Krotona residents, Miss Holbrook was involved in several of these organizations, and on July 2, 1912 led Co-Masonic rituals for the laying of the cornerstone for Krotona Hall.

The ceremony was performed by Helios Lodge of the Co-Masonic Fraternity, under the direction of Miss Isabel B. Holbrook, acting as the deputy of Louis Goaziou, the M. P. Grand Commander of the American Federation of Human Rights...

When daylight broke a handful of devoted women might have been seen filing down to the building site and there reverently incensing the marked-out lines... by ten o-clock the Co-Masons began to arrive. After them came the Theosophist and others, and at eleven the Co-Masons had repaired to the improvised lodge room in the house of Dr. Kuznik, our good Chicago neighbor. In due course, and heralded b a blast from the trumpet of our young trumpeter, these emerged in full regalia, andmarched slowly down the winding lanes, gathering up the Theosophists, the Lotus [children's] groups, the members of the O. S. E> and others, as they proceeded, for these had been waiting on the lawn a little below. The following was the order of the procession, under direction of the Grand Marshal and Assistant Grand Director of Ceremonies:

The Grand Tyler with drawn sword, the Grand Decons with white rods, Masters Masons by Twos, the Grans Inner Guard, the Grand Almoner, the Grand Treasurer with the casket, the Grand Secretary with list of deposit, the Grans Architect with the plans, accompanied by three assistants bearing respectively a square, a level and a plum; the Wardens with columns – the Grand Senior bearing a siiver cup of wine, and the Grand Junior a silver cup of oil; Deputy Grand Commander with escort, bearing Book of Constitution and golden cup of corn; the T. S. Trustees, the Assistant General Secretary and General Secretary with escort; the Grand Bearer with Bible, sqaure and compasses, Past Deputy Grand Master with escort, bearing the crystal vessel of salt; the Grand Orator; the Grand Chaplain and the Grand Commander with escort. Then came the Lotus Circle, the T. S. Lodges, members in twos, the Order of the Star in the East, and finally, the public.

Later years

For many years served the Co-Masonic Order in this country in the office of Deputy Grand Commander.

Later years

In 1921 her health declined, and "she returned to Rockland where she remained, continuing her lecturing as she was able, and contributing also by writing."

She passed away on June 11, 1935.

Writings

The Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals lists 2 articles by IB Holbrook and 37 articles by Isabel B Holbrook. Among these was a series called "As Above, So Below," one on "Pythagoras," and another on "The Book of Enoch."

She also wrote pamphlets:

• Egyptian Studies, Number One. Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Press, 1927. Its sub-title was The Path of Light in the House of the Hidden Places. "It is a study of the correspondences between the secret passages and chambers of the Great Pyramid and the Ritual known as The Book of the Dead in which the secret doctrine of Egypt is embodied. The author notes that this ancient Ritual had for its own title that of The Book of the Master of the Hiddon Places."