How Former Richest Man In Brazil Eike Batista Threw Over $180,000 Into The Sea To Appease ‘Yemoja’ Queen Of The Waters To Return To Past Glory

This story is just funny and ridiculous at the same time. Infact, when I first heard about it I thought it was a hoax so I did my research. But the story appears to be true. One of Brazil’s richest men Eike Batista recently  threwaway dropped 700 thousand Brazilian reais ($183,000) in gold into the sea for attonement.

Once the richest man in Brazil, Eike Batista , 59, is said to have resorted to this superstitious ritual  in the hope of rebuilding his billion-dollar empire, by throwing money into the biggest wishing well he could find – the South Atlantic Ocean.
The flamboyant businessman, who suffered one of the largest personal and financial collapses in corporate history, tossed over 700 thousand Brazilian reais ($183,000) in gold coins onto the waves off the coast of Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema beach last month after a Brazilian African religious leader advised he needed to appease a water-bound deity Yamanja(also know as Yemoja here), known as the queen of the seas, for his past ‘ungrateful’ actions.

‘He came to me for help and I told him that everything he had taken from the sea has to be returned in some way and this could be done by a ritualistic gesture showing gratitude,’ said Ubirajara Pinheiro, a medium and a priest of the Umbanda religion – a syncretic polytheistic belief that draws on African spiritual traditions mixed with elements of Roman Catholicism.

‘Most of (Eike’s) recent business explorations were connected to the ocean and you cannot remove ore from the earth without thanking and giving back,’ warned Pinheiro, who has been a practicing mystic for over 30 years.
‘It’s only after we’ve been punished by God do we then see the wrong we have done,’ he added.

In 2013, Batista lost 99 percent of his estimated net wealth of £25 billion when his six company commodities empire, which included offshore gas and oil exploration, and gold and iron ore mining, went bust defaulting on the largest corporate debt in the history of a Latin American company.

But Batista, ​who admits to being highly superstitious and using psychics in the past to guide his businesses, believes he will be able to roll back the tide of misfortune.
Chartering a yacht, he took to sea to perform a ceremony that involved placing the gold coins in a small vessel with flowers, perfume, champagne and a statue of Yemanja. The little boat was then pushed out to sea in the presence of Pinheiro who led prayers, meditation and chanting.
Asked if this is an expensive way to make amends, Pinheiro who is based in Rio said :

‘It is not about the quantity it is a matter of faith. Many years ago when (Eike) visited my house I warned him what would happen.’

Batista’s gesture comes at a difficult time as Brazil plunges into its worst recession in over two decades. Unemployment is rising, consumer confidence has retracted and in the past year the Brazilian real has lost 24 percent of its value against the dollar.

Undeterred by the bleak current  economic situation of Brazil, Batista remains optimistic.
In an interview with Brazilian network RedeTV! in​ June 2015, Batista revealed he is rebuilding his company and had ‘zeroed his debts’.
With his ​recent ceremonial offering Pinheiro is prophesying Batista’s return to the top will be ‘in only a matter of months.’

The businessman, known for his lavish lifestyle, dropped from number 7 to number 100 on the Forbes Rich List.

Chai, throwing over $180k into the sea in this harsh economic times??? Ha!

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