For the first time, the book of Georg Schuster was published in Russian translation in 1905 in St. Petersburg, and since then no such study has been able to compete with this fundamental work of a talented German scientist. The author traces the complete and detailed history of secret societies, unions and orders from the time of ancient civilizations until the end of the 18th century. Templars, Illuminati, Alchemists, Jesuits, Freemasons, Rosicrucians - what lies behind these mysterious and exciting names? Why were their activities secret, what did they do, and what were their true goals? How was it possible to get into these closed societies, what rites and magical rituals had to be observed, and what lies behind the closed doors of these faithful repositories of higher spiritual treasures? You will learn about all this and much more curious and useful from a book full of unsolved secrets and historical mysteries.