The Great Conjunction on the Winter Solstice 2020

This astronomical event, repeating rhythmically every 20 years, is one of the most prominently visible in the night sky, and received a lot of attention in 2020 from the public as well as from professionals. The present article emerged from a talk in a series organised by the Section for Mathematics and Astronomy at the Goetheanum.  It contains  historical perspectives on  the winter solstice and the great conjunction cycles, and suggests  several interpretations in connection with the philosophical evolution of humanity and the present signature of our age.