"The Epic of Tea: Tea Ceremony as the Mythological Journey of the Hero" is one of the most important articles about chanoyu in English language. It was written by the late Daniel Kane, an Urasenke practitioner in Santa Fe and ran in the first issue of Kyoto Journal.
It review some of the Taoist inspired aspects of space, time and utensils, including yin-yang, 5 elements, furo mandala, etc.
Cha-do, the Japanese "Way of Tea", is neither ancient nor exotic, neither sacred nor profane. In fact, it is extremely ordinary, orderly and essential. In practice, it is "simply" making sure you have properly heated the water for the tea, literally cha-no-yu. In its atmosphere of heightened awareness and hospitality, host and guest ultimately transpose roles and unite. It is this very give-and-receive dynamic exchange that makes the world a wonderful place.