Aquarian Versus Morgan-Greer

[feynrir]

"Versus" is a confrontational word, but I'm just more curious as to which deck some of our ATers prefer!

OPTIONAL FEYNRIR'S STORY:

I got my own Aquarian for free from a stranger, so it's always held a special mystique over me. The circumstance alone was weird and lends my copy a special prominence for me, but the art! It's just so gorgeous!

It took me forever to buy a Morgan Greer because the MG looked too similar to the Aquarian, with the close-ups and that very overt 70s aura. Just tonight did I take each of these decks and directly compare each card. I was quite shocked to find that I preferred many MG renditions over the Aquarian's for individual cards! The Aquarian was "my baby"! (Well, one of the many, anyway...)

In short, I certainly can't choose one over the other, but I would love to see what others think!

 

[earthair]

MG is more human, warm and sensual. There are some stunning cards in Aquarian, but overall, I find it quite a cold experience visually.

 

[Hemera]

Morgan-Greer hands down!

MG is more human, warm and sensual.

This. The warmth is what makes it special to me.

 

[Nina*]

The Aquarian for sure. I love that deck and agree with some author (can't remember who), who claims that Palladini was inspired when he created it.

I used to love the Morgan Greer too. Until I found out (on AT actually - he used to post here) that the creator was a very very NOT nice person. I haven't been able to use the deck since that.

 

[Nemia]

My first tarot book was "Spiritual Tarot" which is illustrated with three decks: RWS, Aquarian and RWS. I loved reading the descriptions and interpretations of the cards that always took into account the differences between the decks as much as their common basis. (My only deck at the time was the Thoth so I actually worked on two tracks at the same time - but that's another story).

Anyway, after getting to know all three decks via book explanations, I decided to buy one of them. It was the Morgan Greer, my second deck and one of my most beloved. It is full of life, warm, strong and clear. A reading with the MG ALWAYS makes sense. It speaks with a wonderful voice, like a deeper woodwind instrument, resonating, vibrant. I really love this deck and don't see it as 70s curiosity - maybe because I remember the 70s quite well ;-)

I bought my first RWS many many years later - the commemorative edition with its muted colors and wonderful package of books and pictures. That's when I warmed to the RWS and to its artistic style.

I never bought the Aquarian. Not because it's melancholy, not because it's cool - I like melancholy and cool colors. It just seemed a bit lifeless to me. Some faces seem stereotypical, stylized - I don't know.

Maybe I'll buy it one day and eat my words - it's a much beloved deck and has a wistful kind of beauty. It may well be able to surprise me. But I never felt any pull towards it.

 

[velvetina]

Aquarian for me too.

My first Aquarian deck arrived in mysterious circumstances - no one had ordered it, yet it arrived in the post! I carry the High Priestess around with me from that deck in a pocket of my diary (the rest of the deck long since perished :/ ) and I currently possess a vintage one...I probably need a new one, but lamination & shininess of the new decks puts me off.

I love the Art Deco style & the gorgeous colours. I think its elegant and mysterious. It seems very self-contained and reminds me of imperious exiled Russian princesses and Those pale, pencilled faces, usually without expression..so enigmatic! I love love LOVE ambiguity in a deck, especially one I'll be reading with, and the Aquarian absolutely has this quality.

I don't mind the Morgan Greer, I use it occasionally and I'd recommend it as a good, solid deck.

 

[Le Fanu]

The Aquarian!

I love the Art Deco style & the gorgeous colours. I think its elegant and mysterious. It seems very self-contained and reminds me of imperious exiled Russian princesses and Those pale, pencilled faces, usually without expression..so enigmatic! I love love LOVE ambiguity in a deck, especially one I'll be reading with, and the Aquarian absolutely has this quality.

I agree with this. The "blank slate" quality of the faces and the cool whiteness make it eminently readable for me. I love its 60s revisiting of Art Deco. Not quite 1920s. There is something so intuitive about this deck for me despite its blankness.

I have tried so hard with the Morgan Greer. I apppreciate the artwork but a deck has to have more than that for me. There is no atmosphere (for me) and this is where the Aquarian wins out. I also find that there is nothing for me to grab onto in a reading. It feels bereft of symbols. And yet I don't quite know what the symbols are in the Aquarian but it pushes all the right buttons. The Morgan Greer images feel like children's story book illustrations, which - again - I like but which don't scream "read me!" Everyone really loves the MG, I know, but I know that if I read with it, I'll get about a third of the information I'd get with another deck.

 

[Rhinemaiden]

I think this is an apples and oranges query.... I own both decks and would be hard pressed to choose between them. They are too dissimilar, even if they were both created in the 1970's and are RWS inspired. Each deck has a distinctive look and voice, and fits comfortably in my tarot collection. No vote here, I abstain.

 

[Nemia]

I guess I'll put the Aquarian on the list of wanna-haves ;-) Thank you for making me re-consider my prejudices.

 

[Le Fanu]

They are too dissimilar, even if they were both created in the 1970's and are RWS inspired.

Oh but both from either end of the same decade (and pulling in aspects of that decade's graphic design), both RWS, that's more than enough to be able to compare them. I have always felt that time was ripe for a thread comparing. One can like both - just as one can like da Vinci and Chagall - but I'm sure most people have a slight preference, simply because one will appeal more to our aesthetic sense. Their differences in this regard are what nudge us towards a comparison.