Contemplation is the definitive step of the soul from Asceticism to Mysticism.
It is called Secret Science of God and Divine Gift because at this point of spiritual development, the soul is directly enlightened by the Masters; that is why some believe and state that it is a gift, a grace of certain privileged souls, but not of all, and even the most advanced souls cannot intend to reach it.
Contemplation can be Shadowy or Illuminative. In fact, these divisions are arbitrary because these two states cannot be accurately determined. The soul becomes rather contemplative and remains absorbed by this holy exercise for a longer and longer time.
All men are destined to divine contemplation.
Worldly life is opposite to contemplative life, and that is why people do not understand what contemplation is. Two opposite things cannot be real in themselves.
Contemplation does not detach you from contingencies of life.
Material things are not evil, but your type of relation with them may be evil. Evil is eagerness and desire, which settle life on a material level.
The exercise of meditation is an organized mental movement to produce certain effects in the soul.
In questions related to love and enlightenment, this exercise leads to lofty feelings and considerable experiences so far unknown.
Renunciation leads naturally to contemplation. One cannot define Renunciation itself. There is void between perfect state and ascetic state, and a continuous Renunciation of the soul should fill this void.