Five of Disks definitions

Rider-Waite: 5 of Pentacles

Two mendicants in a snow-storm pass a lighted casement.

The card foretells material trouble above all, whether in the form illustrated—that is, destitution—or otherwise. For some cartomancists, it is a card of love and lovers—wife, husband, friend, mistress; also concordance, affinities. These alternatives cannot be harmonized. Additional Meanings: Conquest of Fortune by Reason.

Reversed Card meanings

Disorder, chaos, ruin, discord, profligacy.

Additional meanings: Troubles in love.

Book of Thoth - Worry - Five of Disks

The Five of Disks is in equally evil case. The soft quiet of the Four has been completely overthrown; the card is called Worry. [See Skeat, Etymological Dictionary. The idea is of strangling, as dogs worry sheep. Note the identity with Sphinx.] The economic system has broken down; there is no more balance between the social orders. Disks being as they are, stolid and obstinate, as compared with the other weapons, for their revolution serves to stabilize them, there is no action, at least not in its own ambit, that can affect the issue.

More information

Golden Dawn - Lord of Material Trouble

Containment of great internal or external pressures; stress; strain; worry that arises as a result of this constant pressure. (The strength to stand solidly before threat or adversity.)

Mathers: 8 of Pentacles

Lover or Mistress, Love, Sweetness, Affection, Pure and Chaste Love.

Reversed Card meanings

Disgraceful Love, Imprudence, License, Profligacy.

Etteilla: 8 of Pentacles

Lover, Person In Love, Chivalrous Man, Refined Woman, Husband, Wife, Spouse, Friend. Paramour, Mistress. Love, Cherish, Adore. Harmony, Accord, Suitable Character, Presentable, Decorum.

Reversed Card meanings

Muddled, Disorganization. Debauchery, Disorder, Trouble, Confusion, Chaos. Damage, Ravage, Ruin. Dissipation, Wasting. Dissoluteness, Licentiousness. Discord, Disharmony, Conflict.

Thierens: 8 of Pentacles

TRADITION

Lover, mistress, also husband and wife, friend, beloved person. Accord, convenience, well-being, affinity. Reversed they give: Bad conduct, ruin even, confusion, disorder, discord, dissipation, chaos, profligacy. Mr. W. says: "It foretells material trouble above all."

THEORY

The latter saying of Mr. W. is probably correct in any case, but we do not agree that the different renderings "cannot be harmonised." The Fire of the heart on the Ninth house, that of Sagittarius, explains them all without difficulty. It is the emanation of love, which makes practically the lover and the mistress, e.g. husband and wife, when regularised by civil law, and friends, when between persons of the same sex, sympathy and popularity, enthusiasm, hopefulness, love of travelling, roaming about, which in weaker cases easily leads to Bohemian habits, carelessness, disorder and so on. Society will call this in many cases bad conduct, and find much to criticise. That the expansive nature indicated by this card causes 'material troubles above all,' is evident, because it means that more is given out than received, which in matters of this material world does in fact bring troubles. But of a sort that may be easily forgiven, and helped, if not carried too far.

CONCLUSION

Emanation, expansion, love-making and the consequences: lover, mistress, husband, wife, friend; sympathy, popularity, enthusiasm, hopefulness, well-being, affinity. Expenses, material troubles, and in weak cases: disorder, vagrancy, roaming about without aim, waywardness, bad conduct, profligacy, confusion, etc. It is sure to indicate love outside the lines of a legal marriage. Strong individualism, which however is probably ruled by a strong will and a good heart. Brilliancy, but sometimes lack of the sense of responsibility. Travelling or emigration will do much good.