by LORRAINE CARPENTER

"I often get messages in my dreams that I'm supposed to pass along," says Jordi Rosen, shortly after describing a vision of a galloping horse getting up on its hind legs and ringing my doorbell - apparently this is a good omen in the career and/or lodging departments. Even though we've never met face to face, a few brief phone conversations spurred this vision.

"There's a lot of intuition in my family," says Rosen. "On my mother's side there's native spirituality - she's Ojibwe Indian - and my father's mother used to read tea leaves, which I can do as well."

After receiving her first deck of tarot cards at the age of nine, Rosen honed her psychic abilities gradually, eventually with help from (flesh and blood) spiritual guides. Now a professional tarot reader, Rosen employs cards, chakras, animal chants, physical sensations and otherworldly forces in her work.

"During a reading, I'll call on whatever angels, guides, gods or goddesses, relatives or friends who've passed away, whoever wants to help you or has a message for you," she says. Sometimes light or auras, combined with intuition, have revealed that singing or playing an instrument is a client's true calling.

"That's what my work is all about, helping people find their path," she says, explaining that her motivation to abandon teaching for music and readings, or "taking a hobby to another level," came from a similar place.

"I love making music. It's what I'm meant to be doing," she says. "I was in choirs when I was little, and I had piano lessons, but I was always more comfortable playing by ear."

After moving from Toronto to Montreal in 1991, Rosen pined for her family's baby grand, which her mother later offered to ship. Fatefully, the idea was abandoned for logistical reasons - not only did her apartment building on the Main burn to the ground in 2002, but a piano-less existence inspired Rosen to buy an accordion.

She had already acquired a couple of squash-boxes on loan from friends, including Grayson Walker, now of Frog Eyes. The pair began performing as a duo, Jordi & Grayson, then a trio, Jordi, Grayson & Bruce (Cawdron, of godspeed and Esmerine), and finally a quartet, Jordi, Grayson, Bruce & Joellen (Housego).

"I was pretty shy in the beginning, so I found it easier to perform with other people. Now I have no problem playing solo."

Rosen's 2001 solo debut, Madame Xavier, showcased an intimate sound reflecting a fondness for finely formed pop as well as her Ojibwe, Polish and Jewish roots. Lotus is its follow-up, featuring the Besnard Lakes' Jace Lasek and Rosen's staple all-female ensemble - Annabelle Chvostek, Lisa Gamble, Carrie Haber and Housego, most of whom will be joining her on stage tonight, along with Crackpot's Chris Burns. The record is another sumptuous sum of myriad influences, including intuition. From the notes to the key to the chords to the selection and order of songs, Rosen uses all her skills in songwriting.

"Sometimes it means going where it feels like my hands should go, and certain notes feel better in the body, they're more comforting," she says. "Those particular songs jumped out because they needed to be on the album. It wouldn't feel right if they weren't."

CD launch with Crackpot at la Sala Rossa tonight, Thursday, Jan. 13, 9 p.m., $10. For a reading, e-mail jordilotus@yahoo.ca

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