Alejandro Jodorowsky at 96: Art, Death, and the Joy of Living Fully
Alejandro Jodorowsky life and art represent one of the most radical and uncompromising creative journeys of the modern era. At 96, the Chilean-born filmmaker, writer, mystic, and visual artist continues to explore creativity, death, spirituality, and transformation with fearless intensity. Rather than slowing down, Jodorowsky treats aging as yet another artistic rebirth, proving that imagination has no expiration date.
This article explores Alejandro Jodorowsky life and art, tracing how his films, tarot work, psychomagic, and personal philosophy combine into a singular vision of living fully — right up to the end.
A Life Lived as Constant Reinvention
Jodorowsky describes himself as having been “reborn” countless times. Actor, director, poet, mime, tarot scholar, psychotherapist, and comic-book author — these identities have overlapped rather than replaced one another. For him, identity is fluid, not fixed.
He believes that human beings are never just one self. We evolve, shed skins, and inhabit new versions of ourselves throughout life. Aging, in his view, is not decline but transformation — another chapter in an ongoing creative process. https://www.theguardian.com/culture/alejandro-jodorowsky
From Small-Town Origins to Radical Art
Born in a remote port town in northern Chile, Jodorowsky grew up feeling out of place. From an early age, art became his escape route. His journey took him from South America to Europe, where he immersed himself in avant-garde theatre, mime, and experimental performance.
His early films shocked audiences, ignited controversy, and earned him a devoted cult following. These works rejected traditional storytelling in favor of symbolic journeys filled with spiritual quests, surreal imagery, and philosophical riddles
Cult Cinema and the Midnight Movie Legacy
Jodorowsky’s films became legendary through late-night screenings that attracted artists, musicians, and countercultural thinkers. His reputation grew among creative icons who admired his refusal to compromise or explain his work.
Rather than delivering clear moral lessons, his films aimed to provoke personal interpretation. He has always resisted being seen as a teacher or guru, insisting that art should open doors — not dictate meaning.
Psychomagic: Healing Through Symbol and Ritual
Beyond cinema, Jodorowsky developed a therapeutic philosophy known as psychomagic. This approach blends psychology, symbolism, tarot, and ritual to address emotional wounds stored in the unconscious.
Rather than relying on words alone, psychomagic uses symbolic actions to create psychological release. For Jodorowsky, healing is creative, imaginative, and deeply personal. Even in his nineties, he continues to offer guidance to people seeking clarity, meaning, and emotional freedom.
Tarot as a Map of the Soul
One of Jodorowsky’s lifelong passions is the Tarot de Marseille. He sees tarot not as a tool for fortune-telling, but as a symbolic language — an “alphabet of the soul.”
Each card represents human archetypes and inner states. Studying tarot, he believes, allows individuals to understand themselves more deeply and confront hidden fears, desires, and contradictions.
Love, Loss, and Family Tragedy
Despite his exuberant public persona, Jodorowsky’s life has been marked by deep personal loss. The death of his son profoundly shaped his later work, pushing him further into symbolic healing practices and artistic reflection.
Rather than turning away from grief, he integrated it into his creative universe, transforming pain into imagery that honors memory while affirming life.
Creativity Without an Expiration Date
Now in his late nineties, Jodorowsky continues to collaborate, paint, write, and reflect. He works closely with his wife on visual art projects that celebrate color, humor, and surreal joy.
For him, creativity is not bound by age. As long as imagination remains active, life remains meaningful.
A Fearless View of Death
Jodorowsky speaks of death without fear or solemnity. To him, it is not an ending but a culmination — an intense final experience after a life fully lived. He believes existence happens in an eternal present, where meaning is found not in outcomes but in action.
Life, he says, is something to be engaged with completely — creatively, sensually, courageously — until the very end.
Final Thoughts: Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Enduring Legacy
The story of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s life and art is not about cult fame or shock value. It is about radical authenticity, fearless imagination, and the refusal to live cautiously.
At 96, his message is clear:
Live many lives. Create endlessly. Face death without regret — because you truly lived.
